Swiss Politics The party list connection Previous Next Scenario 1: unchanged list In the fictional canton shown, four seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs. No more than four candidates may therefore appear on a ballot paper. If the list for Party A is handed in unchanged, the party receives four votes and each candidate receives one vote. SRF Scenario 2: candidates are removed without being replaced Candidates who have been struck off obviously do not receive a vote. If a box on the list is left empty, the vote nevertheless goes to Party A. In this case all four votes go to Party A. SRF Scenario 3: a candidate is replaced If one strikes off a candidate on a party list and writes in a candidate from another party, the party whose name is on the list loses a vote and the new candidate (and party) gains a vote. SRF Scenario 4: doubling a candidate If one really wants to support a particular candidate, one can double his or her name. This involves removing another candidate, who obviously loses a vote. As far as the party votes are concerned, nothing changes. Doubling is the maximum – trebling or quadrupling isn’t allowed. SRF Scenario 5: empty places when a party is named Voters are also sent an “empty list”. At the top one can enter an existing list, but below one can enter whichever candidates one wants. Empty boxes count as votes for the party chosen. Watch out: if no candidates are chosen, the list is invalid. SRF Scenario 6: empty places when a party is not named If one doesn’t enter a party in an empty list, empty boxes don’t count. Parties only receive a vote if one of their candidates is chosen. Finally, only one list may be handed in. SRF Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3 Picture 4 Picture 5 Picture 6 This content was published on June 27, 2015 - 11:00 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.
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.