Electoral Register (ORE)

In every residential and mixed municipality, a register of eligible voters, who have their political residence in the municipality, shall be maintained under the supervision of the municipal council.

The register of persons eligible to vote in matters of a sub-division is maintained based on the voting register of the entire municipality. The voting register of the sub-division may be combined with that of the entire municipality.

1. The authority of the Office for Migration and Civil Status to access the data as per items 1.6.1 to 1.6.10 of Annex 1 to the Registration Ordinance applies only from January 1, 2011.

2. The municipalities shall implement Article 14 letter h of the Ordinance on the Electoral Register by no later than November 30, 2011.

1. The municipal council determines the authority responsible for maintaining the electoral register.

1. All residents of the municipality who are eligible to vote in federal, cantonal, and municipal matters are to be entered into the electoral register (Art. 4 Federal Act on Political Rights; Art. 55 Constitution of the Canton of Bern; Arts. 4 to 6 Act on Political Rights; Art. 13 Municipal Act of March 16, 1998).

2. Swiss citizens living abroad who are eligible to vote in federal and cantonal matters must be listed separately (Federal Act on the Political Rights of Swiss Citizens Abroad).

1. The register shall be maintained in such a way that the required information is available at all times.

2. Provided that compliance with the provisions of this regulation is ensured, the electoral register may be merged with the population register.

3 & 4

The Voter Register Constitutes the Sole Basis for Voting.

The right to vote can only be exercised by individuals registered in the voter register.

1. The electoral register is public.

1. Changes in the electoral register shall be made ex officio as soon as the required information is available.

2 & 3

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1. Incapacity for Office According to Article 51 of the Swiss Criminal Code and Its Duration are Noted in the Electoral Register.

2. If the Incapacity for Office Ceases, the Annotation is Deleted.

1. ...

2. The authorities responsible for maintaining electoral registers are obliged to provide information to each other.

3. The municipality of arrival hands over the voting certificate to newly registered voters only if it is ensured that they have not already received one from the municipality they have left. In case of uncertainties, the electoral register authority of the municipality of arrival clarifies this with that of the municipality of departure.

1. Persons who have reached the voting age on the day of the vote or election and have their political residence in the municipality shall be entered in the electoral register

1. as eligible to vote in federal and cantonal matters: all Swiss citizens who are not under comprehensive guardianship due to permanent incapacity of judgment or represented by a person with a mandate for care and have their political residence in the Canton of Bern, as well as Swiss citizens abroad who have designated the municipality as their voting locality;

2. as eligible to vote in municipal matters: all Swiss citizens who have been residing in the municipality for three months and are eligible to vote in cantonal matters.

2. ...

1. The political domicile is located in the municipality where the eligible voter resides and is registered.

2. Anyone who registers for residence in a municipality acquires political domicile there only if they provide written proof that they are not registered in the electoral register at their place of residence.

3. ...

4. The provisions regarding the political rights of Swiss citizens living abroad remain reserved.

1. The three-month period for obtaining the right to vote in municipal affairs begins to run upon proper registration with the resident control.

1. The Electoral Register shall include entries for all eligible voters

a) * official surname and given names;

b) the date of birth;

c) * municipality of origin and canton of origin;

d) * place of residence and full address;

e) the previous place of residence;

f) * the dates marking the commencement of voting rights in federal, cantonal, and municipal matters;

g) * the ZPV number from the Central Personal Administration of the Cantonal Administration;

h) * full guardianship, appointment of the proxy or proxies, and the date of such appointment;

i) for removals, the date and reason for the removal, for annotations also their duration.

2. ...

1. Eligible voters may, stating their reasons,

a **\*** request their registration in the electoral register;

b **\*** file a complaint against their removal from the electoral register or the annotation of their incapacity to hold office;

c **\*** in matters where they themselves are eligible to vote, request that the registration of third parties in the electoral register be deleted and the incapacity of third parties to hold office be annotated in the electoral register.

2. Until the fifth day before a referendum or election, eligible voters have the right to request the correction of the electoral register (Art. 18).

1. Requests pursuant to Article 15 may be submitted by eligible voters themselves or through an authorized representative.

2. The body responsible for maintaining the voter register shall inform the affected third parties of the received requests. It shall grant them a period of ten days to submit a written response.

3. Prior to a vote or election, the period for submitting responses may be reasonably shortened. However, it shall be no less than three days.

1. The authority maintaining the electoral register decides on the request and informs the affected parties accordingly.

Before a vote or election, the electoral register must be closed in a timely manner (Art. 15 para. 2).

Entries are to be made when it is certain that the participation requirements will be met on the day of the vote or election.

Persons who have lost voting rights since the last update are to be removed from the register.

New legal incapacities are to be noted, and expired ones are to be deleted.

The authority maintaining the electoral register records the exact number of eligible voters in a document. The document must be kept together with the respective voting or election materials.

1. The authority responsible for maintaining the electoral register shall inform the voting or election committee of the exact number of eligible voters.

2. The municipal decree may stipulate that during municipal assemblies, the electoral register can be inspected in the meeting room or that voting cards must be distributed in advance.

1. If an entry in the voter register or an omission, rejection, or deletion of an entry in the voter register

a) violates the voting rights in federal or cantonal matters, legal remedies are governed by Articles 161 et seq. of the PRG.

b) only violates the voting rights in municipal matters, an appeal can be lodged according to Articles 60 et seq. of the Administrative Justice Act of May 23, 1989 (VRPG).

c) simultaneously violates both the voting rights in federal or cantonal matters and the voting rights in municipal matters, legal remedies are governed by Articles 161 et seq. of the PRG.

2. The decision should, if possible, be made quickly enough to be effective for the voting or election.

3. The competent authority shall take the necessary measures to remedy any deficiencies revealed by the procedure.

1. In analogous application of this regulation, the mixed municipalities shall establish a register of their eligible voters in civil matters (Art. 121 Municipal Act[13]).

1. The provisions of this regulation apply mutatis mutandis to the establishment and maintenance of the voting registers of municipal communities and civic corporations.

1. This ordinance applies mutatis mutandis to the electoral registers of the church communities, insofar as the Ordinance of May 8, 1996, regarding Parish Elections[14] does not determine otherwise.

1. This Ordinance shall come into force on January 1, 1981. It replaces the Ordinance of October 30, 1918.