Swiss Abroad clearly supported e-ID

The two items put to the vote on September 28, the e-ID and the abolition of rental value, were accepted. Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

It was no great surprise that the Swiss Abroad were considerably more in favour of an electronic identity (e-ID) than voters in Switzerland. What was more surprising was that the Swiss Abroad also overwhelmingly approved the end of rental tax.

Acceptance of the introduction of an e-ID, put to a nationwide vote on Sunday, was not the formality expected by pollsters. A long period of suspense culminated in only 50.4% of voters giving it the thumbs up.

On the other hand, an analysis of Swiss Abroad votes – available only for the 12 cantons that provide these statistics – shows that almost 64% of expat voters ticked yes in their ballot papers.

This result is in line with the expected pattern. The Swiss Abroad, who are geographically distant from their authorities, are among those for whom electronic identity should have the most tangible benefits.

For political scientist Martina Mousson at research institute gfs.bern, this self-interest was clearly the driving force behind the Swiss Abroad vote.

In the March 2021 vote, in which e-ID was defeated, the Swiss Abroad stood out for their much clearer support for the project (47% in favour, compared with 36% in Switzerland as a whole).

A more urban electorate

Some of the Swiss Abroad also live in countries that already have a digital identification system.

The composition of the diaspora also undoubtedly helps to explain the voting gap with the Swiss at home, according to Mousson. “People aged 40-64, with high incomes, a higher level of education and living in cities are more represented among the Swiss Abroad than in the rest of the population,” she notes. “Our surveys have shown that these profiles are more favourable to the e-ID.”

>> An interview on this issue with gfs.bern political scientist Lukas Golder:

An unexpected yes to housing tax reform

The second item put to the vote on Sunday concerned a reform of the home ownership taxes, or more precisely, the abolition of the tax on rental value.

Across the country as a whole, the yes vote won by almost 58%. Only the cantons of French-speaking Switzerland and Basel City rejected the government’s plan. In all the others, including the Alpine and tourist cantons that had campaigned against the reform, the electorate voted to do away with this unpopular tax.

Surprisingly, there was also a clear majority in favour, at over 61%, among the Swiss Abroad.

This clear acceptance of the diaspora is surprising and very difficult to interpret, Mousson admits. “Expatriates usually tend to be more left-wing politically, but that’s not at all what we’re seeing here,” she said.

Although the proportion of Swiss Abroad who own their own home is much higher than that of their compatriots in Switzerland, the reform adopted on Sunday only concerns home ownership in Switzerland and will therefore not affect them.

The Swiss Abroad “were above all uncertain about this issue, and when we’re uncertain, we tend to follow the recommendations of the authorities”, she said.

Modest turnout

Although they were asked to vote on an issue of primary concern to them, the vast majority of Swiss Abroad didn’t bother. The turnout rate for the diaspora was almost 22%, slightly below the average turnout over the past five years, which stands at around 24%.

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Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Translated from French by DeepL/ts