Ordinance on the Grand Council Elections Act - Management and Supervision

1. The overall management and supervision of the election of the Grand Council, as well as the instruction of the polling stations in the municipalities, fall under the responsibility of the State Chancellery.

**1. The personal designations used in this regulation refer to both genders.**

1. The municipalities and the State Chancellery determine the election results using the computer program provided free of charge by the canton for this purpose.

2. The State Chancellery issues a guideline to the election offices for the recording and evaluation of the election.

1. The drawing of lots as provided by law is the responsibility of the State Secretary.

1. Basis for the Allocation of Seats to Districts is the Population Number as of June 30 of the Year Preceding the Election Year.

1. Election proposals must be submitted to the State Chancellery no later than the 83rd day (twelfth last Monday) before the election day.

2. The election proposal must include: surname and first name, year of birth, profession, and residential address of the nominees.

3. Written declarations of consent from the candidates must be attached to the election proposals.

4. If an election proposal contains more names than there are mandates to be awarded in the respective district, the excess last names will be deleted.

5. Election proposals with insufficient or improper designation will be rejected.

1. The signatories of the nomination proposal must designate a representative and a deputy for communication with the authorities. Otherwise, the first signatory shall be deemed the representative and the second signatory the deputy.

2. The representative is authorized and obligated to make legally binding declarations in the name of the signatories that are necessary to resolve any objections.

1. If a proposed candidate's name appears on more than one nomination list, the candidate must declare to the State Chancellery by 12:00 p.m. on the 76th day (eleventh Monday before election day) which of the proposals their name should appear on. If no declaration is made, their name will be removed from all nomination lists.

2. For candidates who have not previously been members of the Grand Council, a certificate of eligibility to vote issued by the local authority of their place of residence must be submitted.

1. The State Chancellery reviews the election proposals and sets a deadline for the representative of the signatories within which they can rectify deficiencies in the election proposal, amend descriptions that may cause confusion, and submit substitute proposals for candidates who have been officially removed.

2. The individuals proposed as substitutes must declare in writing that they accept the election proposal. If this declaration is missing, if the name in question already appears on another election proposal, or if the proposed individual is not eligible for election, the substitute proposal is invalidated. Unless the election proposal's representative requests otherwise, the substitute proposals are listed at the end of the election proposal.

3. Should a deficiency not be rectified within the stipulated period, the election proposal is deemed invalid. If the deficiency concerns only one proposed candidate, only that candidate's name is removed.

4. No further amendments may be made to the election proposals after the 76th day (eleventh Monday) preceding the election day.

4. The State Chancellery promptly publishes the lists in the Official Gazette with the designations and ordinal numbers.

1. The State Chancellery shall print the ballots on paper of the same color and size.

2. It shall provide the municipalities with an alphabetical list of candidates from the respective district, along with their order numbers.

1. The ballot paper shall be affixed with a control stamp on the reverse side by a member of the polling station at the polling place.

1. The electoral office must ensure that the secrecy of the ballot is maintained when the voting slip is submitted.

1. After the removal of the ballots from the ballot box, all ballots must be sorted into valid and invalid categories.

2. The valid ballots must be sorted according to list designations or serial numbers into unchanged and altered categories.

1. The altered ballots of each list shall be rectified in content.

2. For this purpose, the following shall be deleted

a) candidate names written more than twice;

b) names not listed on any ballot;

c) illegible names or inaccurately specified candidates;

d) on ballots with more names than seats to be filled: the last excess names. The deletions shall be carried out from bottom to top and from right to left.

3. The deletions shall be made with a red pencil. The letter W (Election Office) shall be added for identification.

3. Names not listed on the district's list shall be struck off. The votes attributed to these names shall be counted as additional votes if the ballot paper bears a list designation or an ordinal number. In the absence of such designation, these votes shall not be counted (empty votes).

1. A record of the election results in the municipality must be prepared in an election protocol, which must be delivered immediately to the State Chancellery along with the other documents.

1. The State Chancellery ascertains on the basis of the municipal records

a) the number of eligible voters and those who voted;

b) the number of valid, invalid, and blank ballots;

c) the number of votes received by each candidate on every list (candidate votes);

d) the number of additional votes for each list;

e) the sum of the candidate and additional votes for each list (party votes);

f) * ...

g) the number of blank votes.

2. ...

3. ...

1. Where there is suspicion of an incorrect election result, the Department of Economics and Home Affairs is obliged to conduct a recount.

1. The State Chancellery drafts a protocol on the election outcome.

2. Based on Sections 12-14b of the law, the State Chancellery allocates the seats to the individual list groups or lists. The names of the candidates on each list must be listed in the order of votes received.

3. The elected and non-elected individuals are to be recorded with their last name, first name, year of birth, occupation, and place of residence.

4. ...

5. ...

1. The State Chancellery immediately notifies the elected candidates of the election results in writing upon determination.

2. It obtains the declarations of acceptance of the election from the elected individuals and publishes the election results with a note on the possibility of appeal.

1. Upon the entry into force of this regulation, the Ordinance Implementing the Proportional Representation Law for the Grand Council dated March 14, 1921, is repealed.

1. This Regulation shall be published in the Official Gazette. It shall enter into force on August 1, 1988.