Regulations on the Exercise of Political Rights (REDP) (REDP)

For the application of the Law on the Exercise of Political Rights of 19 November 2018 and for the organization of votes and elections, the Council of State avails itself of the State Chancellery.

1 Electoral Register

1 The entries in the electoral register include the first name, last name, and date of birth; the electoral register indicates whether the person entitled to vote is registered as a citizen abroad.

2 In Municipalities divided into several electoral districts and in those where candidacies can be subdivided into electoral precincts, the electoral register includes an indication of the district or hamlet (ward) of domicile; the electoral register must be capable of being divided into such districts.

3 The electoral register includes persons entitled to vote and citizens who acquire this right during the year.

4 The electoral register must be extractable in alphabetical order.

5 The electoral register records the effective dates and termination dates of political rights.

6 Registrations and deletions do not have retroactive effect.

7 Municipalities coordinate in registrations and deletions; the Municipality that registers a person in the electoral register immediately notifies the Municipality of previous domicile.

1 Every person entitled to vote in the Municipality may consult the electoral roll during the opening hours of the Municipal Chancellery but may not obtain a copy or extracts thereof; federal legislation is reserved.

2 A person entitled to vote in the Municipality who acts on behalf of a political party or a committee formed for a popular vote may receive a copy of the electoral roll for use in the exercise of political rights, subject to the principles of personal data protection; the Municipality may charge a fee.

The electoral roll data must be preserved for at least ten years.

The call indicates the deadline for the submission of slates and nominations and the deadlines for exercising the right to vote.

1 The revocation of the convocation of assemblies shall be pronounced by the authority that decided the convocation and shall be published in the Official Gazette or, in communal votes and elections, on the communal notice board.

2 In the case of communal elections with the proportional system, the Municipal Council shall immediately inform the State Chancellery of the cases in which the convocation of the assembly must be revoked.

The State Chancellery sets the date and convenes the assemblies for the election of the justices of the peace and their substitutes.

1. In Ballots

1 In ballots, the official ballot paper shall indicate the date of the vote and the question, with a space for expressing the vote; if the person entitled to vote must choose between the text of a popular initiative and that of a counter-proposal, or between two variants, the vote shall be expressed by placing a cross in the box next to the chosen text.

2 In elections under the proportional representation system, the official ballot paper shall indicate the date of the election, the authority or office to be elected, the number and name of the lists, and the number, surname, and first name of the candidates; if it is not possible to include all lists on the front of the ballot paper, the number of lists on both sides of the ballot paper must be balanced. In the case of a municipal election with a cantonal count, the Municipal Council shall prepare the ballot paper in accordance with the instructions of the State Chancellery.

3 In elections under the majoritarian system, the official ballot paper shall indicate the date of the election, the authority or office to be elected, the surname, first name, year of birth, municipality of domicile of the candidates, and any abbreviated name of the political group; in the presence of a high number of candidates, they may be assigned a progressive number.

4 In the election of the National Council, the official ballot papers shall indicate the date of the election and the authority to be elected; pre-printed ballot papers shall also indicate the number and name of the list and any conjunctions and sub-conjunctions, the name, year of birth, profession, and municipality of domicile of the candidate.

5 In the case of a candidacy of a Swiss citizen abroad, the municipality of political domicile shall also be indicated.

6 The use of other ballot papers is not permitted.

1 In elections, the authority may prepare facsimile ballots, which must be designed in a way that distinguishes them from official ballots.

2 The voting material for cantonal and communal elections under the proportional system includes the list of lists and candidates. Candidates may also be designated by the surname and given name by which the person is politically or commonly known, the indication of their political group affiliation or the qualification of independent if such definitions appear in the list's denomination, their profession, and their locality of domicile (former Municipality).

3 In elections for the full renewal of cantonal and communal legislative and executive bodies, the voting instructions shall be accompanied by brief information on the institutional system and representation within the legislative and executive bodies.

1 The Council of State or, in municipal ballots, the Municipal Council draws up a document presenting the matters put to the vote with explanations.

2 The information must be concise, objective, accurate, attractive, understandable and, as far as possible, take into account different opinions.

3 The information booklet contains

a) a brief presentation of the matter with the text submitted to the vote and the question appearing on the ballot paper;

b) a text with the arguments in favour of the matter;

c) a text with the arguments against the matter;

d) any voting recommendations from the Grand Council and the Council of State or, in municipal ballots, from the Municipal Council and the Municipal Executive.

4 Should the text submitted to the vote, due to its length or other reasons, not be reproducible in the information booklet, the booklet may be limited to summarising the content of the essential parts of the text submitted to the vote; in such a case, the complete documentation must be available for consultation at the State Chancellery or the municipal chancellery, with an indication to that effect in the information booklet.

5 The Council of State or, in municipal ballots, the Municipal Council, as a rule, involves the committee promoting the initiative or referendum request in the drafting of the text supporting the request; in such a case, the State Chancellery or the Municipal Council sets a deadline of at least ten days for the submission of the proposed text; the Council of State may refuse or modify texts or expressions that are injurious to honour, manifestly contrary to the truth, or excessively long.

6 In cantonal ballots, the presentation of the matter and the text supporting the authorities' position are drafted by the competent department within the deadline, usually at least ten days, set by the State Chancellery.

1 The Chancellery of State issues directives on voting materials.

2 The Canton makes available to the municipalities the ballot envelopes and the transmission envelopes.

The medical certificate is a criterion to be considered for the decision of admission to accompanied voting.

The number of polling stations in elections with a cantonal count is determined by the State Chancellery.

1 Candidates may not be members of electoral offices; this rule does not apply to municipal elections with the proportional representation system. [1]

2 The electoral offices for postal voting may be composed of the same individuals.

[1] Art. amended by R 25.9.2019; in force since 1.1.2020 - BU 2019, 339.

1 In case of the need to complete the electoral office, the president convenes the alternate members; in case of impossibility to convene the alternate members, the president completes the electoral office with other citizens entitled to vote in the Municipality or with municipal officials.

2 The simultaneous presence of a member and their alternate is not permitted.

In the absence of the president, the electoral office is chaired by the oldest member by age or, in his place, by the oldest alternate member by age.

For electoral and counting operations, the Municipality provides the electoral offices, as needed, with a secretary and administrative staff.

The electoral office, potentially through the president, the secretary, or the municipal chancellery, promptly communicates to the members and any delegates the day and time of the electoral operations.

1 A member of an electoral office cannot be appointed as a delegate of the same or of another electoral office.

2 The same delegate can be appointed for only one electoral office, with the exception of electoral offices for postal voting, for which the same person can be appointed as a delegate for multiple electoral offices.

3 The same substitute can be appointed for multiple electoral offices, on the understanding that if they intervene in one electoral office, they lose their role as a substitute in the other electoral offices.

4 The simultaneous presence of the delegate and their substitute is not permitted.

5 Candidates may be appointed as delegates.

6 The delegate does not have the right to vote in the electoral office.

1 The minutes of the polling station committee shall include

a) the composition of the polling station committee, including the name of any secretary;

b) the names of the delegates;

c) the chronological progress of the voting and counting operations;

d) the results indicated in Article 42 paragraph 1 letters a - b of the LEDP and, in elections with the majority system, the number of votes obtained by each candidate;

e) the observations and objections of the members of the polling station committee and the delegates;

f) the decisions of the polling station committee, briefly reasoned.

2 The minutes of the main polling station committee shall include

a) the information indicated in paragraph 1 letters a - c and e - f;

b) the results indicated in Article 42 paragraph 1 letters a - c of the LEDP for the entire Municipality.

3 The State Chancellery may request that additional data be included in the minutes (Art. 42 para. 3 LEDP).

1. Annexed to the record of the electoral office is the list of voters.

2. Voters are listed with progressive numbering, reporting the data appearing in the electoral register.

3. The list of voters indicates the method of exercising the vote; in the case of an accompanied vote, the surname and first name of the accompanying person must be indicated.

4. The list of voters cannot be consulted.

1 The minutes and the attachments are signed by the members of the electoral office, by the secretary, and by the delegates.

2 The original minutes are kept by the Municipality; the list of voters is destroyed after the results have become legally binding.

3 In cantonal votes and elections, in the election of the National Council, and in municipal elections with the proportional system, an original copy is also prepared for transmission to the State Chancellery.

The counting of votes in the election of the National Council is carried out in the Municipalities using the IT tools provided by the Canton; the State Chancellery issues the directives.

1 Substitutes may be assigned to the cantonal vote-counting office.

2 The members and substitutes of the cantonal vote-counting offices are appointed from among the lay judges.

In the case of a municipal election with the proportional system, the representative of each list present in the Grand Council has the right to notify the name of the delegate who attends the activities of the Cantonal Ascertainment Office and the substitute.

1 The State Chancellery also publishes electronically the data published in the Official Gazette concerning the lists and candidates, the proponents, and the results (Articles 42 and 52 LEDP).

2 The data referred to in Article 42, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the law are published electronically.

3 Data concerning proponents are removed from electronic publication after the election results for the subsequent period have become final; information on entries appearing in the criminal record extract is removed after the election to which it relates.

4 The Municipal Council may also publish electronically the data published on the municipal notice board concerning the lists and candidates, the proponents, and the results, including the data referred to in Article 42, paragraph 3 of the law; the data shall be removed within the deadlines indicated in paragraph 3.

1 The Municipal Council is responsible for the safekeeping of election materials and voted materials and ensures their secure storage; the election office ascertains the secure storage of election materials.

2 Access to election materials and voted materials must be limited to persons involved in electoral operations.

3 The minutes of the election offices are preserved even after the results have become legally binding.

1 After the results have become legally binding, the following are destroyed

a) the ballot papers;

b) the list of voters attached to the minutes;

c) the legitimation cards. [2]

2 The destruction of the voting material is ordered by the State Chancellery after the results have become legally binding and after any necessary authorization from the Confederation; in the case of municipal votes or elections using the majority system, the destruction is ordered by the Municipal Council or the municipal service to which it has delegated the task. [3]

3 The State Chancellery, the municipal chancellery, or the competent municipal service shall draw up the minutes of the destruction of the material.

[2] Para. amended by R 3.12.2025; in force since 1.1.2026 - BU 2025, 334.

[3] Para. amended by R 3.12.2025; in force since 1.1.2026 - BU 2025, 334.

1. Lists of candidates and candidatures must be filed with the State Chancellery or, in the case of a municipal election, with the municipal chancellery by 6:00 p.m. on the Monday established by the Council of State or, in municipal elections under the majority system, by the Municipality; Article 83 paragraph 2 of the law is reserved.

2. The submission deadline must fall on a Monday between the eighth and twelfth Monday preceding election day.

The declaration attesting the submission of the list proposal or candidature indicates the missing documentation.

At the time of depositing the proposed list or candidacy, the representative shall notify the postal address to which decisions must be served and any email address for communication in accordance with Article 49, paragraph 3 of the law.

In cantonal and communal elections, the maximum number of proponents decisive for electoral law and publication purposes is that indicated in Article 45 paragraph 1 of the law, increased by ten; this provision also applies to proposals for revocation (Art. 120 paras. 1 and 2 LEDP).

The declaration of acceptance of the candidacy may be made by separate written instrument or by affixing a signature on the list proposal or candidacy proposal.

1 Extract from the criminal record

1 The extract from the criminal record must have been issued within the two months preceding the deadline for depositing the list proposals or candidacies.

2 In the case of a postponed election, a candidate who had already submitted their candidacy for the election within the initial deadline may submit the same criminal record extract, provided that the extract was issued no more than six months prior to the new deadline for depositing proposals.

3 The Council of State or, in communal elections, the Mayor, shall request a more recent extract from the criminal record if there are elements suggesting that the submitted document is not up-to-date and there is sufficient time to produce the new document by the deadline at which proposals become final, it being understood that in case of non-submission, Article 49 paragraph 2 of the law shall apply.

4 The extract from the criminal record may be transmitted electronically, provided it allows the authority to verify its authenticity.

1 The decisions adopted by the Council of State or, in communal elections, by the Mayor or the Municipal Council are deposited in the State Chancellery or the communal chancellery.

2 Every proponent may consult or obtain a copy of the decisions concerning the proposal subscribed by them.

3 The candidate may consult or obtain a copy of the decisions concerning their candidature.

1 In cantonal and communal elections, the order of succession of lists is established by first drawing the lists participating in both the election of the executive authority and that of the legislative authority, then those participating only in the election of the executive authority, and finally those participating only in the election of the legislative authority.

2 In the election of justices of the peace and substitute justices of the peace, the order of succession of candidates is determined by the order of submission of the nominations.

1 The final lists and candidacies, including any entries appearing in the criminal record extract, are published in the Official Gazette or, in the case of a municipal election, on the municipal bulletin board without delay but no later than five weeks before the election date.

2 On the municipal bulletin board, they are published for a period of at least fifteen days.

1 The justice of the peace shall draw up the minutes of the declaration of fidelity in duplicate; one copy shall be kept by the justice of the peace and one copy shall be transmitted to the Municipal Council.

2 For the declaration of fidelity, the justice of the peace shall collect a fee of 100 francs; if the declaration of fidelity concerns the Mayor or a single member of the Municipal Council, the fee shall amount to 50 francs.

3 The preceding paragraphs shall apply by analogy also to the declaration of fidelity of the members and substitutes of the patrician offices and the consortial delegations.

1 The municipal official certifies on the list the number of valid signatures and affixes his signature and the municipal stamp.

2 He strikes out the void signatures, indicating the reason therefor.

1 Lists of signatures cannot be consulted.

2 The promoters of a request for a referendum, initiative, or recall may consult the struck-off signatures along with the reasons for their striking-off; other signatures are made invisible.

The Presidential Office of the Grand Council or, in the case of a request for the recall of the Municipal Council, the State Chancellery may avail itself of the collaboration of the municipal chanceries for the certification of signatures.

1. Municipalities' declarations of accession must be deposited with the State Chancellery by the deadline for collecting accessions.

2. In cases where the Municipal Council is competent, the declaration of accession must be originally signed by the President of the Municipal Council or transmitted by the municipal chancellery, with an extract originally signed by the President of the Municipal Council.

3. In cases of competence delegated to the Municipal Executive, in addition to the original declaration of accession signed by the Municipal Executive itself, an extract of the provisions of the municipal regulations conferring the delegation to the Municipal Executive must be attached.

4. The publication of the verification of the outcome of the request includes the name of the Municipalities that have validly subscribed to the initiative or referendum.

The implementing regulation of the law on the exercise of political rights of November 18, 1998, is repealed.

Having received the approval of the Confederation [4] in accordance with Article 91, paragraph 2 of the Federal Law on Political Rights of 17 December 1976, the regulation is published in the Official Gazette of Laws and enters into force on 1 September 2019.

Published in OG 2019, 294.

[4] Approved by the Federal Chancellery: 5 August 2019 - OG 2019, 294.