Swiss Review 2/2020

Swiss Review / April 2020 / No.2 Politics 14 “E-voting and e-banking are not the same thing” E-voting in Switzerland has been on hold since last summer – leaving many Swiss Abroad disappointed. Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr gives us his take on the matter, reiterating the importance of “security before speed”. INTERVIEW: MARC LETTAU, SUSANNE WENGER Swiss Review: Tell us, Mr Thurnherr – have you ever missed a voting date? Walter Thurnherr: I have not missed one yet, as far as I know. I always vote by post because it is quick and very practical – unless you are visually impaired or live abroad. Would you be worried if voter turnout in Switzerland fell by a third? Voter turnout is already under 50 per cent, meaning that only around one quarter of the population decides on everything. That concerns me for a start. But this is exactly what we saw in the 2019 National Council elec- tions: a sharp decline in turnout. The number of people voting from abroad plummeted in some instances. Although this was probably because the electronic voting channel was unavailable. We could correct that. In my view, it would be worse if voters lost interest in voting and no one knew why. Since e-voting was put on ice, we in the editorial team have received an increasing number of letters from disaffected expats. Can you understand this reaction? Yes, of course. Especially from those who previously had access to e-voting and had got used to it. It is particularly annoying for people who are only out of the country for a relatively short time andwill be returning to Switzerland later – because they will be directly affected by the voting outcomes. They say that e-voting in Switzerland is currently on hold, but isn’t it clinically dead? On hold means exactly that. But the issue cannot be resol- ved in a couple of days. No one can say yet how things will turn out. It depends on various factors. E-voting oppo- nents are collecting signatures for a popular initiative cal- ling for amoratorium. Various motions are pending in par- liament. It is also about whether we have an operator that can provide a secure system. Are you optimistic? Good question! Four years ago, the Council of States only narrowly rejected a motion calling on the federal gover- nment to force the cantons into offering e-voting by the 2019 elections. We were already saying back then that se- curity takes priority over speed, stressing the importance of cantonal autonomy. Consultations on e-voting later re- vealed that almost all cantons welcomed e-voting. Most Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr on the prospects for e-voting: “Sometimes I am optimistic, sometimes less so.” Photos: Danielle Liniger