REVEALED: The Swiss canton where you can be fined for not voting
Most Swiss people who cast their ballots in elections or referendums do so voluntarily. But in one canton, voting is compulsory.
The Swiss vote at least four times a year — more often than citizens of any other country. In 25 out of 26 cantons, this activity, while strongly encouraged, is optional.
People can choose whether to cast their ballots or sit out the vote, depending on how interested they are in particular issues.
Typically, less than half of the eligible voters turn in their ballots — either by mail or in person. This low participation has often been attributed to ‘voter fatigue’, meaning that people become tired of having to weigh in on too many issues with such regular frequency.
READ MORE: How Switzerland’s direct democracy system works
But such a listless attitude is not acceptable in one Swiss canton: Schaffhausen. Any adult citizen who doesn’t cast a vote in regularly scheduled elections or referendums receives a fine.
This penalty used to be 3 francs for a missed vote, but in March 2014 the cantonal parliament doubled it to 6 francs.
This fine, more symbolic than truly punishing from a financial point of view, is intended to stir voter interest and participation. The strategy seems to have worked: turnout in Schaffhausen is consistently 15 to 20 percent higher than the Swiss average.
Best way to save 6 francs in Schaffhausen: vote. Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels
Even so, some experts are skeptical about this coerced political participation.
“It could happen that some of the voters vote without sufficient expertise”, Daniel Kübler, democracy researcher at the University of Zurich said in an interview with SRF public broadcaster soon after the Schaffhausen doubled the fine.
“Voter turnout is not just about quantity. It is also about the quality of political interest”, he added.
In fact, compulsion— and a threat of fine — doesn’t always sway Schaffhausen voters to head to the polls.
“Often I don’t have the time or just don’t feel like it”, hotel owner René Laville told SRF.
He conceded, however, that the fine was fair and he doesn’t mind paying it.
Compulsory voting was common in Switzerland in the 19th century but was abolished in the other 25 cantons by the 1970s.
It remains in force in about 30 countries in the world. In Europe, it is required in Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Greece and Cyprus.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What was on the ballot in Switzerland’s first ever referendum?
How do authorities know who has voted, and who hasn’t?
Whether in Schaffhausen or elsewhere in Switzerland, citizens can vote in two ways.
One, and by far the most widely used method, is by mail.
Each eligible voter receives a ballot by post, along with a packet of information, detailing what the issues are, which parties are in favour or against, and what the Federal Council’s position is.
The ballot should be filled in and signed, and the return envelope contains a slip of paper with the voter’s name and address.
In case of in-person vote, each voter must show his or her identification, and their names are checked off the list.
READ MORE: The ten most unusual Swiss referendum topics
Comments
See Also
The Swiss vote at least four times a year — more often than citizens of any other country. In 25 out of 26 cantons, this activity, while strongly encouraged, is optional.
People can choose whether to cast their ballots or sit out the vote, depending on how interested they are in particular issues.
Typically, less than half of the eligible voters turn in their ballots — either by mail or in person. This low participation has often been attributed to ‘voter fatigue’, meaning that people become tired of having to weigh in on too many issues with such regular frequency.
READ MORE: How Switzerland’s direct democracy system works
But such a listless attitude is not acceptable in one Swiss canton: Schaffhausen. Any adult citizen who doesn’t cast a vote in regularly scheduled elections or referendums receives a fine.
This penalty used to be 3 francs for a missed vote, but in March 2014 the cantonal parliament doubled it to 6 francs.
This fine, more symbolic than truly punishing from a financial point of view, is intended to stir voter interest and participation. The strategy seems to have worked: turnout in Schaffhausen is consistently 15 to 20 percent higher than the Swiss average.
Even so, some experts are skeptical about this coerced political participation.
“It could happen that some of the voters vote without sufficient expertise”, Daniel Kübler, democracy researcher at the University of Zurich said in an interview with SRF public broadcaster soon after the Schaffhausen doubled the fine.
“Voter turnout is not just about quantity. It is also about the quality of political interest”, he added.
In fact, compulsion— and a threat of fine — doesn’t always sway Schaffhausen voters to head to the polls.
“Often I don’t have the time or just don’t feel like it”, hotel owner René Laville told SRF.
He conceded, however, that the fine was fair and he doesn’t mind paying it.
Compulsory voting was common in Switzerland in the 19th century but was abolished in the other 25 cantons by the 1970s.
It remains in force in about 30 countries in the world. In Europe, it is required in Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Greece and Cyprus.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What was on the ballot in Switzerland’s first ever referendum?
How do authorities know who has voted, and who hasn’t?
Whether in Schaffhausen or elsewhere in Switzerland, citizens can vote in two ways.
One, and by far the most widely used method, is by mail.
Each eligible voter receives a ballot by post, along with a packet of information, detailing what the issues are, which parties are in favour or against, and what the Federal Council’s position is.
The ballot should be filled in and signed, and the return envelope contains a slip of paper with the voter’s name and address.
In case of in-person vote, each voter must show his or her identification, and their names are checked off the list.
READ MORE: The ten most unusual Swiss referendum topics
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.