There are a number of Swiss citizens who
are living or working abroad, and they are just as deserving to the right of
suffrage as their counterparts who live in Switzerland itself. However, access
to the democratic process is still quite limited and this is why the Council of
the Swiss Abroad are rallying behind the
promotion of electronic voting for Swiss expatriates.
The expatriate community is represented by
the Council of the Swiss Abroad and at the council's regular meeting in Bern in
March, all of the over 120 representatives approved a new 8-point manifesto on
the future of elections in Switzerland, particularly as it pertains to voting
access for Swiss who are living or working abroad. The approval by the council
was unanimous, emphasizing how important it is that expatriates can still
participate in the Swiss political process and have their voice heard.
As Organization of the Swiss Abroad (OSA)
president Jacques-Simon Eggly indicated at the meeting, this is a critical
element in keeping the democratic system alive, transparent, and representative
in the country. The OSA is pushing for expatriates to have the ability to elect
officials into both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Approximately 10% of the Swiss population live abroad, numbering over
700,000 in total, and this number continues to grow. Most live in neighbouring
European nations (462,000), like France, Germany and Italy, followed by the
Americas (181,000), Asia (50,000), Oceania (31,000), and Africa (21,000).
However, only 142,000 expatriates globally
are currently registered and eligible to take part in votes and elections.
Three electronic voting systems have been tested in 14 of the country's 26
cantons, but this means that citizens from the country's other 12 cantons do
not have access to the Swiss Abroad e-voting platform. A big part of the
problem is that many Swiss expatriates have been denied the possibility of
having an account in Switzerland. This leads to problems related to pension
payments, for example, as well as access to voting rights.
Among many other reasons, this is why Swiss
Abroad is pushing for the rapid
and widespread introduction of a better e-voting system that would empower
expatriates with the ability to participate in the democratic process. The
tests in 14 of the country's cantons demonstrate a strong interest in e-voting
among the expatriate community. This echoes similar sentiments expressed in
other international democracies like those
in India and demonstrated
in Brazil.
Understandably, the Swiss government would
not want to rush into the full widespread deployment of a brand new e-voting
system and further investigations into the matter are clearly required. As
Barbara Perriard of the Federal Chancellery indicates, “Security comes before
speed.” Transparency, reliability and the sanctity of the secret ballot must be
maintained.
"All Swiss expatriates," said Jacques-Simon Eggly, "have to be able to have access to e-voting to use their political rights." Given the strong and proud banking tradition of Swotzerland and its high standards forsecurity and privacy, the development of a secure and reliable e-voting paradigm for expatriates should be a top priority.
