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Popular Participation in Swiss National Council Elections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Harold F. Gosnell
Harold F. Gosnell*
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
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Extract

It is difficult to compare popular participation in Swiss elections with that of any other democratic country in Europe. The smallness of the country, the rugged nature of the land, the diversity of languages, the strength of the traditions of local self-government, the variety of political institutions, and the multiplicity of elections make Switzerland a unique place for political experiments. The composition of the Swiss electorate is very similar to that of the French. Every Swiss male citizen, twenty-one years of age or over, is allowed to vote, unless excluded by the laws of the canton in which he resides. However, the duties of the French and Swiss electors are far from being alike. In France the electors vote every four years for the deputies, while in Switzerland there are elections on federal questions every year, to say nothing of the cantonal and municipal elections. The elections to the lower house of the Swiss national legislature, the National Council, are held every three years. These elections do not have the same importance as English or French legislative elections, because the Swiss constitution limits the powers of the national legislators. Furthermore, the Swiss plural executive system detracts from the dramatic quality of the National Council elections. The executive is not responsible to the lower house as in countries having the parliamentary form of government. Making allowance for the fact that some of the cantons have compulsory voting, one might expect to find a lower record for participation in elections to the Swiss National Council than in elections to the French Chamber of Deputies, the latter body having undivided national power and, in addition, control over the executive.

Type
Foreign Governments and Politics
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , May 1930 , pp. 426 - 439
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1930

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References

1 Schweizerische Statistische Mittilhungen, Statistik der Nationalratswahlen, 1919, 1922, 1925, und 1928, p. 17Google Scholar. In general, the number of registered voters is probably a little too high.

2 Senti, A., “Die Nichtwähler in Zürich,” Züricher Statistiche Nachrichten, 1926, No. 4, p. 164Google Scholar.

3 The figures before 1919 were obtained from Annuaire Statistique de la Suisse, 1902, p. 309Google Scholar; 1908, pp. 347, 358; 1918, p. 289. The figures for 1919 and after are from Statistik der Nationalratswahlen, 1919, 1922, 1925, und 1928.

4 Picavet, C. G., La Suisse (Paris, 1920), p. 242Google Scholar; Fueter, E., Die Schweiz seit 1848 (Zürich, 1928)Google Scholar.

5 In 1900 and in 1910, similar proposals were voted down. Burckhardt, W., Eidgenössiche Wahlgesetzgebung; Das Proporzgesetz (Bern, 1919)Google Scholar. See also Fleiner, F., Schweizerisches Bundesstaatesrecht (Tübingen, 1923)Google Scholar.

6 Unopposed returns were permitted in these districts.

7 The Droop quota is used. This quota is obtained by dividing the number of votes cast by the number of candidates to be elected plus one and completing the quotient to the next whole number. See Hoag, C. G. and Hallett, G. H., Proportional Representation (New York, 1926), p. 421Google Scholar.

8 The best analysis of post-war election statistics is found in Statistik der Nationalratswahlen, 1919, 1922, und 1928. See also Joneli, H. and Wyss, E., “Statistik der Nationalratswahlen von 1919 und 1922” Zeitschrift für schweizerische Statistik und Volkswirtschaft, 1923, vol. 136, pp. 77 ff.Google Scholar

9 F. Bonjour, Real Democracy in Action. In St. Gall, voters over 60 years of age are excused.

10 Loi du 17 novembre 1924 sur l'exercice des droits politiques (Lausanne, 1924)Google Scholar.

11 Schaffhausen has the worst record in this respect. In all the cantons having compulsory voting taken together, 1.6 per cent of the ballots were blank, and 1.2 per cent spoiled, in 1928.

12 Bryce, J., Modern Democracies (New York, 1921), vol. I, p. 423Google Scholar.

13 Brooks, R. C., Government and Politics of Switzerland (Yonkers, 1918), p. 305Google Scholar.

14 In 1928, party strife was severe in the following cantons: Luzern, Schwyz, Fribourg, Solothurn, Grisons, and Valais. In each of these cantons, over 80 per cent of the registered voters took part. In all but Grisons and Valais, around 85 per cent took part. On the parties of Switzerland, see Reichesberg's, Handwörterbuch, vol. I, pt. 1, pp. 245–94Google Scholar, “Politische Parteien.”

15 The figures for total party votes must be estimated. The method of making estimates is explained in Schweizerische Statistische Mitteilungen: Statistik der Nationalratswahlen, 1919, 1922, 1925, und 1928.

16 Journal de Genève, May 19, 1926.

17 Mitteilungen des Schweizerische Bauernsekretariates: Erhebungen über den Stand des landwirtschaftlichen Vereins und Genossensehaftswesens in der Schweis im Jahr 1920 (Brugg, 1922)Google Scholar.

18 Partei Mitgliedsbuch, Statut der Sozialdemokratischen Partei der Schweiz.

19 Ibid.

20 Sozialdemoiratische Partei der Schweiz, Geschäftsbericht pro 1925.

21 Basler Nachrichten, October 27, 1925. Less than two per cent used their right of panachage, or splitting the ticket, as compared with eight per cent in the Independent Democratic party.

22 The Democratic and Workers' party in St. Gall and Thurgau, the Evangelical Peoples' party in Zürich and Basel, and some lesser groups.

23 Statistik der Wahlen in den Nationalrat in Kanton Zürich, 1919.

24 Statistik der Nationalratswahlen, 1919, 1922, und 1928.

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