Official sources only. Facts come from the Swiss
Federal Council and Federal Chancellery and the official explanatory booklet (
German ·
French ·
Italian). The booklet is not published in English; the English summaries here are Vote Book’s AI-assisted translation of the official German text and are labeled as such. The German, French and Italian versions are the authoritative ones. Vote Book does not recommend how to vote and does not publish polls.
Who can vote
- Swiss citizens aged 18 or over can vote in federal popular votes.
- Swiss abroad: citizens living abroad who are at least 18 and registered with a Swiss representation (embassy or consulate) can vote by correspondence after applying to be entered in the electoral register. They are registered in their last Swiss municipality of residence, or otherwise in their place of origin (FDFA).
How to vote
- By post: voting materials and the official booklet arrive at home three to four weeks before voting day. Your voting card shows how and by when to return your vote; the deadline is set by your canton and commune.
- In person: at your commune’s polling station, usually on voting Sunday morning (opening times are on your voting card).
- E-voting (trial operation): in 2026 it is offered only in some cantons — Lucerne, St. Gallen and Thurgau for registered Swiss abroad (and pilot communes in St. Gallen and Thurgau), Graubünden in selected communes, and Neuchâtel for all voters who sign up. Basel-Stadt’s pilot is suspended until the end of 2026. The electronic ballot box opens four or five weeks before voting day (Monday, 12:00) and closes on the Saturday before voting day at 12:00 Swiss time (cantonal e-voting platform).
Deadlines for Swiss abroad
- Registrations, address changes or requests to vote in person must reach the authority at least 8 weeks before voting day to be reflected on the voting card.
- Materials may be sent abroad from the sixth week before voting day at the earliest; for the November 29 vote, from calendar week 43.
Results
Provisional results may not be published before 12:00 on voting Sunday.
Sources: FDFA — voting rights of the Swiss abroad · Cantonal e-voting platform — FAQ · Federal Council circular on the Nov 29 vote (Fedlex) · ch.ch — votes · all sources