Federal elections 2019: The official election portal is online

An important vote is set to take place next year. On 20 October 2019, Swiss voters will elect the members of the National Council and Council of States (Switzerland’s two chambers of parliament) for the 2019-2023 legislative period.

A few weeks ago the Federal Administration launched an information portal for citizens. The portal is jointly operated by the Federal Chancellery and ch.ch, the website of the Confederation, the cantons and the communes.

ch.ch/elections2019 already contains a section with detailed information from each canton about all those standing as candidates for the National Council or Council of States. General information about the organisation of the elections of both chambers, an election dictionary, a FAQ page and a quiz about the elections, where you can test your knowledge of the elections, can be found online.

During the electoral year, new content will continuously be uploaded to ch.ch/elections2019: In the spring of 2019, detailed explanations of the electoral arrangements for the National Council and Council of States will be published for each canton. The portal features answers to questions like: When will I receive the election materials and who should I contact if I don’t receive them?; How do I fill in the ballot paper?; What mistakes should I avoid?; Who is eligible to vote?; Where and when can I vote?, and Do I need to register in order to vote? The website also contains practical information on how people with disabilities can vote.

On 20 October 2019, the results of the elections to the National Council and the Council of States will be published on ch.ch/elections2019, in cooperation with the Federal Statistical Office.

Swiss Abroad may also participate in the federal elections. There is a special section for the “Fifth Switzerland” on ch.ch/elections2019, which will be updated regularly with useful information for candidates as well as the electorate, in each case per canton.

The electorate can also obtain information about the elections via multimedia resources, such as interactive diagrams, illustrations and especially explanatory videos. The official voting guide for the National Council elections completes the offer.

The portal ch.ch/elections2019 is available in five languages (German, French, Italian, Romansh and English). All explanatory videos are also available in sign language, allowing deaf and hearing impaired people to follow the election explanations. In addition, the content is adapted to the needs of the blind and visually impaired.