Regulations concerning the electronic voting system in the Cantonal Council chamber - Purpose

1. The Electronic Voting System in the Cantonal Council Hall (referred to as the "System" hereafter) aims to

1. ensure the rapid and error-free determination of results during votes in the Cantonal Council;

2. provide comprehensive transparency regarding the voting behavior of individual members of the Cantonal Council both internally (within the Cantonal Council) and externally (to the public).

1. The system is used in all votes in the Cantonal Council. Paragraph 2 remains reserved.

2. The system is not used

1. in sessions excluding the public (§ 37 para. 2 Rules of Procedure of the Cantonal Council);

2. in roll call votes (§ 81 Rules of Procedure of the Cantonal Council);

3. in secret votes (§ 81 Rules of Procedure of the Cantonal Council);

4. in secret elections and confirmations of the Cantonal Council (§ 84 et seq. Rules of Procedure of the Cantonal Council);

5. in the event of system failure;

6. in quadruple, quintuple, and further multiple votes.

1. A separate report shall be prepared for each vote in the system.

2. The provisional report consists of a graphic (§ 4; Annex 1).

3. The definitive report consists of a list of names (§ 5; Annex 2). Only the definitive report is legally binding (§ 20).

4. The State Chancellery may make the following minor adjustments to Annexes 1 and 2

1. editorial corrections such as typographical errors;

2. changes to font sizes;

3. modifications of graphic elements.

5. The State Chancellery shall inform the Cantonal Council's office of the adjustments made pursuant to paragraph 4 and shall update the annexes in the law collections.

1. For each vote, a provisional report in the form of a graphic shall be prepared containing the following information, in accordance with the template in Annex 1

1. the date of the Cantonal Council meeting;

2. the number of the vote;

3. a chart with the result for each vote in the colors according to § 5 paragraph 2 numbers 1-5;

4. an overview with the seating plan in the Cantonal Council, showing the voting result per seat (without indicating the names of the council members) in the colors according to § 5 paragraph 2 numbers 1-5.

1. The Final Report is a list of names with the following information regarding the members of the Cantonal Council

1. Last names;

2. First names;

3. Affiliation to a faction or party;

4. Voting results from the respective Cantonal Council meeting.

2. The voting results display each council member's voting behavior in a tabular format according to the template in Annex 2

1. First majority: Blue;

2. Second majority: Red;

3. Any possible third majority: Yellow;

4. Abstention: Gray;

5. Vacancy/absence/non-participation in voting: White.

3. The vote of the President is recorded as "non-participation in the voting," pursuant to paragraph 2, item 5 (§ 82 paragraph 1 sentence 1 Rules of Procedure of the Cantonal Council); however, the casting vote by the President is recorded pursuant to § 16.

4. Subtotals are shown according to paragraph 2, items 1-5.

5. The total of the voting results always amounts to 80.

1. The vote counters are responsible for operating the system during the Cantonal Council session.

2. They verify

1. before the Cantonal Council session, the preparatory work of the State Chancellery (§ 11 para. 2);

2. during the Cantonal Council session, the conformity of the declared results with the screen displays (§ 18 para. 2).

3. They sign the provisional reports (§ 4 or § 19 para. 1) and release the final reports for publication on the internet (§ 20 para. 3).

1. The State Chancellery is responsible for the operation of the facility.

2. It prepares the drafts of the final reports for the voting officials and publishes them in accordance with the voting officials (§ 20 f.).

1. A mobile, wireless radio technology is used.

2. Each council member receives a mobile device (keypad) individually addressed to them for voting.

3. The devices (keypads) remain in the cantonal council chamber during the session.

4. The vote counting personnel have access to a computer and a printer for operating the system during the cantonal council session (§ 14 ff.).

**1. Council members have five control buttons available on the devices (keypads), namely:**

**1. Button 1 for the first majority;**

**2. Button 2 for the second majority;**

**3. Button 3 for a potential third majority;**

**4. Button 4 for abstention;**

**5. Separate button for the correction of the vote.**

**3. The vote of a council member present at the meeting but not located in the council chamber during the voting (e.g., entrance, restroom, etc.) is recorded under the category "Absence/Non-Participation."**

**4. Excused, absent, and non-participating council members are also recorded under the category "Absence/Non-Participation."**

1. Two screens shall be mounted or installed in both the north and south of the hall.

2. The provisional report (graphic) pursuant to § 4 shall appear on the screens.

3. The displays on the screen are not legally binding. They are not part of the final reports (§ 3 para. 3).

1. The State Chancellery

1. sets up the facility before the Cantonal Council meeting;

2. prepares the table for the benefit of the vote counters according to § 14 para. 1).

2. The vote counters verify the preparatory work of the State Chancellery (§ 6 para. 2).

1. The vote counters, the state recorder, or the state recording clerk, as well as the staff members of the state chancellery designated by him or her, shall receive system access.

1. The current Cantonal Council session will not be uploaded to the Internet. This will not be done after the session either.

2. The uploading by third parties remains reserved. Visitors require a permit for this, but accredited media do not (§ 38 para. 3 and § 39 para. 3 Cantonal Council Rules of Procedure).

1. The vote counters record the relevant details for each vote in a table, namely

1. the number of the vote;

2. the voting question (keywords);

3. the allocation of motions to the first, second, and any potential third majority.

2. The votes are numbered consecutively for each day of session (starting with "1" each day).

1. The President or Chairperson reads aloud the voting question and proposes the voting procedure to the Cantonal Council (§ 75 para. 1 GO KR).

2. The President or Chairperson can issue instructions to the vote counters regarding the recording of the votes.

3. The voting question is not displayed on the screens.

4. The vote counters initiate the voting process upon instruction from the President or Chairperson.

5. The voting process lasts 15 seconds. The remaining time to cast votes is displayed on the screens (countdown). After this, the voting is concluded. No further votes will be accepted.

6. The votes cast, including the total for each majority, are continuously displayed on the screens.

7. If a council member is unable to operate the system themselves due to health reasons, voting is conducted according to the instructions of the affected council member by a vote counter.

1. If the President is required to make the casting vote (§ 82 para. 1 sentence 2 Rules of Procedure), a separate report shall be prepared for this purpose.

1. If a discrepancy is detected in determining the result during the voting process, this process shall be concluded. The President shall order a new vote. This is subject to § 71 para. 2 GO KR.

2. The faulty previous voting process shall be marked as "annulled" in the final report (§ 5). It must not be deleted from the system.

1. The President announces the results of the votes.

2. The vote counters verify whether the announcement of the results corresponds with the display screens.

1. The vote counters print out the provisional reports and sign them on the day of the Cantonal Council meeting.

2. They hand over the signed provisional reports to the State Chancellery. These are not part of the minutes of the Cantonal Council.

3. After the approval of the minutes of the Cantonal Council meeting, the State Chancellery destroys the provisional reports.

1. After the cantonal council meeting, the State Chancellery prepares the final reports for the benefit of the vote counters. The basis for these reports is the automatically generated list of names (§ 5) and the notes of the vote counters (§ 14 para. 1).

2. The State Chancellery records succinctly for each vote what the voting question was (including information about the first, second, and third majority).

3. The vote counters approve the final reports for publication on the internet by the State Chancellery.

1. The State Chancellery publishes the definitive reports on the internet no later than the third working day after the Cantonal Council meeting. For important reasons, the President may extend or shorten this deadline in individual cases.

2. The State Chancellery adheres to the standards for Open Data.

3. The published reports are made available indefinitely in common data formats. They may be further processed by third parties.

1. The final reports published on the internet are attached as appendices to the minutes of the Cantonal Council.

2. These are not sent out but are used solely for record-keeping at the State Chancellery.