Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

The story of the ballot paper

Every four years politicians and parties compete for the attention of the Swiss public in parliamentary elections. To cast their vote, citizens must use a standard ballot paper. But where do these come from and how are they produced? 

In canton Bern, around 800,000 ballot papers are produced in the space of just a few weeks. When a voter receives their envelope in their letter box, little will they realise how much work is involved in producing this simple, standard document.

The final ballot paper and vote documentation is a perfect example of team work between the Bern cantonal chancellery, printers, book binders, packing firms and the postal service.

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR