Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /Data/DataInet/www.aso.ch/templates/tpl_content_newslist_detail.php on line 27
22.06.09 Another step towards e-voting
On 15 June, the cantons of Geneva and Basel-City signed a hosting agreement, which will enable Basel’s Swiss citizens abroad to vote via the Internet using the Geneva system. OSA welcomes this agreement, which will send out a signal to the other cantons and represents an important step towards enabling Swiss citizens abroad to participate in federal referenda via the Internet.
OSA has campaigned for many years for the cantons to introduce electronic voting for their voters abroad as soon as possible. The aim is to make it easier for the 125,000 Swiss people living abroad registered in the electoral rolls to exercise their political rights via the Internet. No fewer than 13 referenda have been held this way since 2003 in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Zurich and Geneva. Only the three pilot cantons currently possess the technology required. The agreement between the cantons of Basel-City and Geneva is therefore symbolic and will undoubtedly pave the way for other cantons to sign a hosting agreement with Geneva, Zurich or Neuchâtel.
Federal government welcomes and supports the introduction of electronic voting. This is why the signing of the hosting agreement by the cantonal chancellors of Geneva and Basel-City took place in Berne and was attended by Federal Chancellor Corina Casanova. OSA Director, Rudolf Wyder, was also present at the signing. This is a strong signal that the political weight of the Swiss abroad and the need for rapid introduction of e-voting for citizens outside of Switzerland are being recognised. OSA is delighted and hopes other cantons will follow the example set by Basel-City.
