OSA board members handing in the petition on Friday
OSA
The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) has handed in a petition with more than 11,000 signatures calling for electronic voting to be made available to all Swiss living overseas by 2021.
“This voting method is often the only way that the Swiss Abroad can exercise their political rights, as voting documentation sent by post often reaches them too late,” the OSAExternal link said in a statement.
In all, 11,492 signatures were collected online from 150 countries since the petition was launched in August. This is the equivalent of almost 7% of the Swiss abroad who are registered to vote, the OSA said. This was more than the 10,000 expected.
E-voting in Switzerland was dealt a blow on November 28 when canton Geneva announced it would shelve its system due to financial reasons. The OSA had reacted with disappointment to the news, saying that people would assume that the move was linked to doubts over the security of e-voting.
A recent test by hackers did find security vulnerabilities in the Geneva system, but according to Swiss public radio RTS this was not the reason for the cantonal authorities wanting to ditch its e-voting platform.
Geneva’s decision leaves only one other e-voting project still standing in Switzerland: the one run by Swiss Post.
The use of electronic voting in Switzerland has been making slow progress amid setbacks over security concerns. Over the past 15 years, more than 200 trials with e-voting have been carried out at nationwide and cantonal levels.
More
More
Democracy
Swiss Abroad disappointed by Geneva’s stance on e-voting
This content was published on
The recent decision by canton Geneva to shelve its e-voting system could undermine citizens’ confidence in the system, says the Swiss Abroad.
Boats sail to Solothurn to celebrate 700 years of Le Landeron
This content was published on
The challenge of crossing Lake Biel from Le Landeron to Solothurn without a motor was taken up by 16 amateur crews on Saturday. The competition is part of Le Landeron's 700th anniversary celebrations.
Swiss cantonal ministers keep low profile on social media
This content was published on
A small base of followers and neutral posts: these are the conclusions that emerge from a study published by UNIL researchers into the use of social networks by councillors of state.
Swiss rents forecast to rise up to 5% annually, housing chief warns
This content was published on
Rents on the Swiss market are set to rise by between 3% and 5% a year over the next few years, warned Martin Tschirren, Director of the Federal Housing Office (FHO), on Sunday. "Demand for housing remains higher than supply".
This content was published on
The Council of the Swiss Abroad, meeting today in Bern, passed a resolution in favour of the new Electronic Identity Act (Id-e), which will be put to the vote on 28 September.
One person consumes 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity
This content was published on
On average, the Swiss consume 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity per year. According to Velobiz.de, this is roughly equivalent to the amount generated by all 176 cyclists in the Tour de France during the entire race.
Outgoing ICRC chief in Ukraine defends neutrality amid war
This content was published on
Swiss national Jürg Eglin, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, reflects on his tenure.
Green party leader criticises government’s neo-liberal policy
This content was published on
The Green Party delegates' meeting opened on Saturday morning in Vicques (JU) with a speech by party president Lisa Mazzone. Mazzone took particular aim at the Federal Council's policy towards the United States.
Working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being, says Swiss study
This content was published on
A study by the University of Bern shows that working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being and particularly affects women.
Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
This content was published on
JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.
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.