A year of e-voting
Swiss Post’s e-voting system has been in use in several cantons for a year now. What are their initial experiences? Time for a look at the facts.
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60 percent
60 percent
E-voting is a popular addition to voting at a polling station or by post. In particular, voters who live outside Switzerland prefer to use the electronic voting channel. On average, 60 percent of eligible Swiss voters resident abroad have used e-voting when taking part in a ballot.
0 attacks
0 attacks
Since Swiss Post’s new e-voting system was introduced in June 2023, there have been no incidents that compromised the security of any electronic votes. During all contests, the votes in the electronic ballot boxes were secure.
7,971 votes
During the e-voting contest on 18 June 2023, 4,239 votes were cast electronically. At the most recent popular vote on 9 June 2024, 7,971 votes were cast electronically in Switzerland and abroad. Of all the voters who were permitted to use e-voting and took part in the vote in June, around 17 percent opted to participate electronically.
4 cantons
4 cantons
E-voting is currently available for a part of the electorate in four cantons: Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen and Thurgau received initial authorization in March 2023, with the Canton of Graubünden following in November 2023. Additional cantons are interested in offering e-voting via Swiss Post’s system.
24 pilot municipalities
24 pilot municipalities
In the cantons of St. Gallen and Graubünden, voters in several pilot municipalities can vote electronically. In March 2024, there were ten pilot municipalities across both cantons. By the time of the vote on 9 June 2024, this had increased to 18 municipalities in St. Gallen and six in Graubünden.
250,000 francs
250,000 francs
The e-voting system, including its programming code and system documentation, is constantly under public scrutiny. A third public intrusion test is about to begin. As part of this programme, ethical hackers and computer specialists attack the e-voting system. Successful hackers can enjoy high rewards: for each vulnerability reported, Swiss Post pays up to 250,000 francs, depending on severity. Around 2,600 experts from around the world took part in the 2023 intrusion test and put the system through its paces – but not a single person managed to find a point of attack.