Swiss government proposes voting rights for people with intellectual disabilities

Switzerland’s Federal Council wants to give people with intellectual disabilities the right to vote and stand for election at federal level. It has sent proposed changes to the Constitution and related laws for consultation, SRF reported.

Current law excludes people from federal political rights if they are under comprehensive guardianship because they are permanently unable to make decisions, or if they are represented by a person appointed under an advance directive. Parliamentary committees estimate that about 16,000 people are affected.

Under the proposal, all adult Swiss citizens could take part in National Council elections and federal votes, and sign popular initiatives and referendums. Elections to the Council of States are regulated by the cantons, not at federal level.

Several cantons have already extended political rights to people with disabilities. Geneva was the first, in 2020, followed by measures in Zug, Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. Proposals are being prepared in Basel-Stadt, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Solothurn and Zurich. Aargau, Basel-Landschaft and Bern have considered the issue through parliamentary motions, while Schaffhausen has an action plan.

Support has not been unanimous. Motions failed to win majorities in the cantonal parliaments of Fribourg and Thurgau, and voters in Vaud rejected a proposal in November 2025. Neuchâtel and Vaud have procedures that allow individual reviews of voting exclusions, giving people affected the possibility of regaining their political rights.

The consultation runs until January 28, 2027. The proposal is linked to the Federal Council’s efforts to modernise adult protection law, including work to abolish comprehensive guardianship. Any constitutional change would require approval by voters and the cantons.