Act implementing the Federal Act on Political Rights (LALDP) - Exercise of Voting Rights (AGBPR)

1. In federal elections and referenda, the citizen exercises their right to vote by personally placing their ballot in the ballot box, voting by mail, or by deposit at the municipal office.

1. Instead of personally placing their ballot in the ballot box, the voter may vote by mail or deposit it at the municipality from the moment they receive the voting materials.

2. The procedures for postal voting and voting by depositing at the municipality are regulated by cantonal legislation.

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1. The disabled voter may be assisted by a person of their choice in exercising their political rights.

2. Specifically, they may be accompanied by this person into the voting booth.

1. Swiss citizens residing abroad who are eligible to vote according to federal law exercise their political rights through the cantonal central administration, which undertakes all tasks delegated to municipalities in connection with the exercise of political rights. However, the canton may delegate one or more tasks to the cantonal capital with its consent.

2. The canton is specifically entrusted with fulfilling the following tasks

a) it establishes and maintains up-to-date the central voting register of Swiss citizens residing abroad;

b) it personally delivers voting materials to Swiss citizens residing abroad;

c) it decides on the modalities that allow Swiss citizens residing abroad to exercise their voting rights in Switzerland;

d) it conducts the counting of votes cast by Swiss citizens residing abroad.

1. Municipalities shall provide each voter of the municipality with the documents allowing them to validly exercise their right to vote (a ballot paper; a transmission envelope and a return slip; a voting envelope; where applicable, the voting certificate) as well as the voting materials and the accompanying explanations no earlier than four weeks before the voting day and no later than three weeks before this day.

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1. The municipal council may open the polling stations on the Saturday prior to the election.

2. On the voting Sunday, the polling stations shall be open for at least one hour.

3. On Sunday, the polling will close no later than 12:00 PM.

4. The total opening time of the main office shall be at least two hours in municipalities with more than 4,000 voters.

5. The notice of convening the electorate shall mention the days and opening hours of the polling stations.

**1. As soon as the vote counting is completed, the municipalities must promptly report the results to the canton in accordance with the directives of the competent department.**

1. The number of seats allocated to the cantons is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Act (Articles 16 and 17).

2. The number of seats is communicated to the population through the publication of the Federal Council's decision in the Official Gazette, after it has been delivered to the competent cantonal authorities.

1. If a lot must be drawn, this shall be done by order of the President of the Council of State.

1. The candidate lists must be submitted to the State Chancellery with an acknowledgment of receipt by no later than the second Monday in August of the election year at 12:00 p.m.

2. No changes can be made to the candidate lists after the first Monday following the established date for the submission of the candidate lists.

1. The eligible voters can inspect the deposited lists (candidates and signatories) at the state chancery from the day following their deposit.

1. The State Council is responsible

a) for removing the names of those candidates from the list who have not confirmed in writing before the deadline for election registration that they accept the nomination;

b) for removing the name of a candidate who appears on more than one list in the canton;

c) for making corrections to the submitted lists and assigning them an ordinal number according to the order of their submission.

2. If, after the correction of the lists, a multiple candidacy is discovered, the candidacy in question will be declared invalid on all affected lists

a) by the canton, if the same candidate appears on more than one list within the canton;

b) by the Federal Chancellery, if the same candidate appears on lists in multiple cantons.

1. The State Council declares the candidates elected, provided that their number does not exceed the number of seats to be allocated.

1. The declarations regarding list and sublist connections must be submitted to the State Chancellery by no later than 12 PM on the third Monday in August.

1. The numbered lists as well as the declarations regarding list and sub-list connections are published in the Official Journal of the fourth week of August.

1. The cantonal administration prints the ballots of the validly submitted candidate lists as well as lists without designation.

2. The signatories of the lists can obtain printed ballots for their use from the state chancellery at cost price.

3. Orders must be placed with the state chancellery by no later than the third Monday in August at 12 noon.

1. No later than the fifth week before the election Sunday, the cantonal administration shall deliver all ballots to the municipalities.

2. The municipal administration shall provide each eligible voter of the municipality with a complete set of all ballots, along with the brief voting instructions from the Federal Chancellery, no earlier than four and no later than three weeks before the election Sunday.

3. Additionally, it must make all ballots available for selection by the eligible voter in each voting booth.

1. The State Council shall publish the results in the Official Gazette after their verification.

2. This publication must occur no later than eight days after the election Sunday.

1. The State Council shall notify the elected candidates of their election in writing.

1. The State Council is responsible for setting the date of the replacement and supplementary elections.

2. These shall take place no later than within three months following the determination of the vacancy.

1. In the event of a vacancy during the term of office, the State Council declares the first unelected candidate from the same list as elected by resolution.

2. If no unelected candidate is available, the State Council grants the signatories a 30-day period, starting from the determination of the vacancy, to propose a new candidacy.

3. This must be submitted to the State Chancellery no later than 12 noon on the last day of the period.

4. In the event of a by-election to fill a single vacant seat, if the State Chancellery receives only one valid candidacy by the thirtieth day before the election, the candidate is declared elected by the cantonal government.

1. The municipal council is responsible for issuing the certification regarding the signatures affixed by the voters on the initiative and referendum forms.

2. For Swiss citizens abroad, these certifications are issued by the department that maintains the central electoral register for Swiss citizens abroad.

1. The resolutions of the municipal council can be appealed to the State Council within three days following the discovery of the grounds for appeal, but no later than the third day after the publication of the results in the official gazette.

1. Decisions made by the State Council within the framework of federal legislation and the present law are free of charge, except in cases of frivolous complaints or those made in bad faith.

1. The Grand Council elects the federal jurors.

2. The election procedure is determined by the provisions of its election regulations.

3. It is responsible for making final decisions on cases of ineligibility and the admissibility of recusals.

1. For all cases not provided for in the federal law and its implementing provisions, as well as in this law, cantonal legislation shall apply.

1. Without the consent of the Council of State, which will seek the approval of the Federal Council, no new methods of vote counting may be introduced.

1. This Law has been enacted to implement federal law and is not subject to an optional referendum.

2. It shall enter into force upon its approval by the Federal Council.

3. It repeals the Decree of May 10, 1978, concerning the implementation of the Federal Act on Political Rights of December 17, 1976.

1. The State Council is entrusted with the publication of the present law and its implementation.