Swiss Review 3/2020

Swiss Review / June 2020 / No.3 5 Mailbag Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr on the future of e-voting I am very disappointed that our government is unable to get e-voting up and running quickly and securely. My wife and I feel at a big disad- vantage when exercising our democratic rights. We never knowwhether our voting papers will arrive in Switzerland in time. Not only is it a complete lottery, but it also costs money. It is a textbook example of how to lose interest in Swiss democracy. PAUL JANN, NAGYPÁLI, HUNGARY I am completely in favour of e-voting, because our postal ser- vice is too slow to get our voting papers back to Switzerland in time. It is a shame, but I feel I have no other option but to stop voting for the time being. FRIEDEL LEOPOLD PAIERL, PHETCHABUN, THAILAND We have given up, because our voting papers usually fail to ar- rive until shortly after the voting date. We live in South Africa, and it is a challenge even for letters to reach their destination. E-voting is the only way for us to vote at all. PETER KLÄUSLI, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA In addition to the flawed Swiss Post platform, there was a second e-voting solution developed by the canton of Geneva. As far as I understand, Geneva also prioritised security over speed, but the project was ditched for financial reasons. If they could resurrect this idea, there would be no need to start from scratch. You could simply start where Geneva left off. DAVID BERNHARD, UK Voting is a right, not a privilege. Likemany other Swiss Abroad, I am pretty certain that my vote in the federal elections never arrived in time. I love e-voting, but I can understand why security concerns might prevent it. WILLIAM COMISH, USA This is an unbelievable situation. I wish they would sort it out. How on earth is a high-tech country like Switzerland unable to make e-voting secure? If bank accounts were at stake, cen- tre-right parties would leave no stone unturned to solve the problem. But Swiss expats tend to vote left-green, sowhywould a party like the SVP bother? The newly elected National Coun- cil and Council of States should seek to improve the electronic voting channel for all Swiss citizens who live abroad. ALBERT MOSER, DETTIGHOFEN, GERMANY Wolves return to the Alps It seems that if one could increase the herds of deer and wild boar, the wolves would not go after so many sheep. VIRGINIA LANGE WALTER, USA I also think we need to keep the wolf and if we get some bears, be happy and proud. These wonderful animals have a right to live in the Swiss mountains. Give the farmers money for every killed sheep and they will be happy, too. CHRISTINA HOFFMANN, SÖRUP, GERMANY Wolves are very dangerous when hunting in packs. People in the 19th century knew that travelling on horseback through forests at night-time was a risky business, because there was always a chance of wolves attacking. Herewith endsmy history lesson. WERNER MEIER, PORTUGAL I likewolves, bears, andwild animals per se. But we should be allowed to control their numbers to a certain extent. More wolves mean fewer deer to hunt. Some conflicts of interest defy logic and common sense. Nevertheless, I basically agree that wolves and bears both have a place in Switzerland. MARKUS IMMER, PHILIPPINES Pisa study: Fewer schoolchildren understand what they read It is excellent to see some cantons adopting early intervention programmes during early childhood: this is when there will the greatest effect. Enjoying literature is just like any other part of our culture or society we value, we can’t afford to take it for granted and must continue to strive for a place and space for reading at home and in schools. AJITA CANNINGS, LISMORE, NSW, AUSTRALIA “Swiss Review” in general I am very impressed by your understanding of what journal- ism means to democracy. Past injustices committed by the Swiss state need to be uncovered and reported. This includes difficult topics such as the Swiss childrenwhowere separated from their families and sent to correction facilities because they didn’t fit in. Thank you for the varied way in which you report on Switzerland. SYLVIA SCHILBACH, BAD ENDORF, GERMANY