| Ready for the Future? |
In the last few decades, society has undergone major changes via technological innovation. The Internet has become an indispensable tool for most people. This creates new requirements and possibilities. In Switzerland, the introduction of e-voting and e-government services has been a national priority.
E-Voting
E-voting allows citizens to cast their vote on the Internet. E-voting pilot projects have been conducted in municipalities in the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Zurich.
The Swiss Federal Chancellery evaluated those pilot projects and came to the following conclusions:
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E-voting primarily replaces postal voting, not voting at the ballot box.
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E-voting leads to a moderate increase in voter participation.
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E-voting is more cost-effective than postal voting.
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A number of current abstainers, mostly younger people, are motivated to participate because of e-voting.
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Steps must be taken to prevent security breaches in the e-voting system.
After the pilot projects, the Federal Council decided to introduce e-voting in different stages. Consequently, the laws and resolutions concerning the use of political rights were amended in 2008 to extend the pilot projects and introduce e-voting step-by-step. Since 2010, many Swiss citizens abroad have been able to participate in popular votes via the Internet.
E-Voting Worldwide
Electronic voting machines are used in the United States, India, Brazil and Venezuela. They have been blamed for problems in the United States–and in the Netherlands and Finland, which considered (but rejected) the machines. Internet voting is being used for government elections and referendums in Estonia and Switzerland, for municipal elections in Canada and for party primary elections in France.
Black = electronic voting machines; blue = internet voting for party primaries; dark grey = internet voting for municipal elections; red = internet voting for government elections and referendums
E-Gathering and Digital Signatures
E-Gathering is a new term. It describes the act of gathering signatures via the Internet. The European Union will allow e-gathering for the new European Citizens’ Initiative procedure, which was established in 2011. In Switzerland, no decision on whether to permit e-gathering has been made.
Slow Start in the American West
The American states don’t permit e-gathering yet for direct democracy petitions. (E-signatures are permitted for voter registration in some places). In California, a Silicon Valley company with technology for signing petitions on smart phones has launched a court challenge, arguing that the law does not explicitly prohibit e-gathering. So far, court rulings have gone against the Company, with judges arguing that any change must be enacted by the legislature. In Oregon, an activist has reconfigured a bank ATM machine to collect signatures. But there has been little development beyond that. Leading politicians, in these states and others, have opposed e-gathering. Critics say politicians fear e-gathering because it might make it easier to qualify initiatives and referendums that limit their power.
Innovation & Exchange
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