Swiss turnout reaches nearly 60 percent in national votes

Nearly 59 percent of Swiss voters took part in the national ballots on June 14, well above the long-term average, SRF reported, citing a Vox analysis by the GFS Bern research institute.

Older, better-educated and higher-income voters, along with people who are politically interested or affiliated with a political party, contributed particularly to the unusually high turnout. GFS Bern surveyed 3,305 eligible voters for the study.

The initiative titled “No 10 Million Switzerland” was seen as the most important of the proposals. It received an average importance rating of 8.1, the highest recorded for a proposal during the current legislative term.

The initiative was rejected with 45.2 percent of the vote and also failed to win the required majority of cantons. Although a majority of voters who opposed it viewed population growth as a burden on infrastructure, concerns about possible economic and foreign policy consequences were decisive in the rejection.

Support for the initiative was strongest among Swiss People’s Party sympathisers, 95 percent of whom backed it. Unaffiliated voters narrowly supported it, with 51 percent voting in favour.

The amendment to the civil service law passed with 52.5 percent of the vote. The decisive reason for supporting it was the aim of maintaining the army’s personnel strength, an argument that also appealed to voters who opposed the amendment. Support was strongest among sympathisers of the Swiss People’s Party, FDP and Centre parties, while younger voters rejected the change more often than older voters.

Vox analyses have been conducted after every Swiss national vote since 1977. GFS Bern has carried them out on behalf of the Federal Chancellery since 2020.