How do I vote, and where?

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    Easy answers about life in Switzerland
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    • Where and when to vote?
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    Votes and elections
    Votes
    Where and when to vote?

    Where and when to vote?

    Eligible voters can vote by post or at the polling station. 

    Note

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    The official voting materials are sent to your home address between three and four weeks before a federal vote or election. You will be sent the materials by the commune in which you are registered to vote.

    There are two different ways:

    • You can vote directly at the polling station in the commune where you live.
      Take along some ID (ID card, passport) and the voting papers you received by post. Carefully follow the instructions.

      NB:

      • Make sure you know where the polling station is in your commune, and its opening hours. This information is usually printed on the envelope containing the voting materials. If in doubt, contact your commune directly.

      • If you are a Swiss citizen living abroad intending to go to Switzerland to vote, collecting the voting materials directly from your electoral commune, you should inform the commune at least six weeks before the date of the vote or election so that the materials are not sent to your address abroad.

    • Postal voting
      You can also vote by post. Follow the instructions in the voting materials sent to you and return your completed ballot to your electoral commune. Swiss abroad can also vote by post, in the same way as voters in Switzerland.

      NB:

      • You can vote by post as soon as you receive the voting materials.

      • Make sure you vote by the deadline for postal voting.

      • In some cantons and communes you are required to pay postage when sending back the ballot envelope

      • Some communes provide a letterbox in which you can place your ballot from the day you receive the voting materials up to the Sunday of the vote or election. Make sure you check the deadline for placing ballot envelopes in the box (no stamp necessary).

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