Englisch

General Principles

• Follow the guidelines of your municipality and canton.
  • Write by hand, clearly and legibly.
  • Adhere to the deadlines.

Ballot Paper

• Use only an official ballot paper.
  • Submit only one ballot paper for the National Council.
  • Your ballot paper must contain at least one valid name.
  • Do not write anything on the ballot paper other than the names and numbers of candidates. Do not add your signature or any other annotations.

Candidacies

• Only names printed on pre-printed ballot papers are valid.
  • Always write out the first name, last name, and number of the candidates in full. Quotation marks, «ditto,» or similar annotations are not allowed.
  • A name can only be repeated once (cumulative voting), no more.
  • The ballot paper may not contain more names than the number of seats allocated to your canton.

Voting

• You can vote by mail or at the polling station.
  • For postal voting, sign the voting rights certificate (exception: Canton of Basel-Stadt) and enclose it with your submission.
  • Submit your voting documents (ballot paper and voting rights certificate) on time.
  • Your last opportunity to submit the voting documents is on election day at your polling station. Take note of the opening hours.

Pre-Printed Ballot Papers

Unchanged Ballot Paper

If you submit the pre-printed ballot paper without changes, the party receives as many votes (party votes) as there are names (candidate votes) and blank lines (additional votes) listed on it.

Modified Ballot Paper

1. Crossing out names: You can cross out the names of pre-printed candidates. These candidates will not receive any votes from you. The blank line then counts only as a vote for the party, unless you write another name on it.

Cumulative voting: You can manually repeat a pre-printed name (including the candidate number) once. This gives the candidate two votes from you. The same name may appear on the ballot paper no more than twice. Quotation marks or annotations like «ditto» are invalid.

Panachage: You can write the names of candidates from other lists on your ballot paper. These candidates will receive your candidate vote, and their party will receive your party vote.

List Alliances

Parties and political groups form list and sub-list alliances to increase their chances of election. During the counting process, the votes received by the alliance partners are first added together: this determines how many seats they are entitled to collectively. The seats won are then distributed among the alliance partners according to proportional rules. The candidates with the most votes are elected. List and sub-list alliances are indicated on the ballot papers.

Blank Ballot Papers

With Party Designation

If you use a blank ballot paper, you can write the name and/or number of your preferred party at the top (this information can be found on the pre-printed ballot papers). Below, on the blank lines, you must write at least one name of a candidate (including their number).
The blank lines are counted as votes for the party listed at the top.

Without Party Designation

If you leave the fields for the party name and number at the top blank, any empty lines will not be attributed to any party. These votes will be lost.

Proportional Representation

In most cantons, elections for the National Council follow the proportional representation system. First, the seats are distributed among the parties in proportion to the number of votes they received (candidate votes + additional votes). Then, the seats are allocated to the candidates who received the most votes within the lists.

Postal Voting

• Observe the specific rules of your municipality and canton and follow their instructions.
  • Place the ballot paper (possibly together with the ballot paper for the Council of States) in the voting envelope and seal it.
  • Sign the voting rights certificate in the designated field (exception: Canton of Basel-Stadt).
  • Insert the voting rights certificate and the voting envelope into the official mailing envelope. In some cantons, the voting envelope also serves as the mailing envelope.
  • Drop this envelope into the mailbox of your municipality or the post office.
  • For A or B post: Pay attention to delivery deadlines and ensure sufficient postage where necessary.

Voting at the Polling Station

• At least two of the last four days before election day, you can submit your ballot paper at the polling station in your municipality.
  • Bring the following with you: the official voting envelope containing the ballot paper for the National Council (and possibly for the Council of States), the voting rights certificate, and an official ID.
  • Take note of the opening hours of your municipality.