Summary

The Swiss Federal Council approved a basic permit for e-voting trials in cantonal Lucerne for federal referendums on 24 June 2026. The approval is valid until November 2028 for a limited electorate. Canton Lucerne uses the proven e-voting system of Swiss Post, which is already successfully in use in three other cantons. The first referendum with e-voting takes place on 27 September 2026. Approximately 6,900 Swiss citizens abroad from Canton Lucerne will have access to electronic voting.

Persons

  • Federal Council (collective body; decision-maker)

Topics

  • E-voting / Electronic voting
  • Swiss referendum process
  • Digitalization of the electoral system
  • Swiss citizens abroad

Clarus Lead

The resumption of e-voting trials in Switzerland signals political confidence in the technology despite a documented security incident. In March 2026, 2,048 electronic votes in Basel-Stadt could not be decrypted – an incident that authorities attribute to handling errors, not system weaknesses. With the approval for Lucerne, the e-voting program is strengthened and expanded to new cantons, while overall participation in the September referendum grows to approximately 3.24% of all Swiss eligible voters. This demonstrates gradual scaling while maintaining risk control.

Detailed Summary

The e-voting system of Swiss Post has proven reliable in four cantons. Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen, Thurgau, and Graubünden have been using the system since June 2023 or March 2024, respectively. The cantons and the Federal Chancellery confirm that the system correctly processes votes and reliably decrypts them. The incident in Basel-Stadt in March 2026 was an exception: irregularities in the management of PIN-protected USB sticks led to data loss, but not to system errors. The Federal Government considers a recurrence "very unlikely," particularly for Lucerne, since the cantons have subsequently reviewed and strengthened their processes.

Canton Lucerne is directing its e-voting offering primarily at Swiss citizens abroad. Unlike eligible voters in other cantons, they do not need to register; they automatically receive voting materials. The Federal Council's basic permit is limited to a restricted electorate until November 2028. For each individual ballot, the canton requires separate approval from the Federal Chancellery. The approval for September 2026 was issued in parallel with the basic permit.

Key Statements

  • The Federal Council approves e-voting trials in Lucerne until November 2028 with a focus on Swiss citizens abroad.
  • The Swiss Post system is already successfully deployed in four cantons.
  • A security incident in Basel-Stadt (March 2026) is attributed to process errors, not system weaknesses.
  • The September referendum will include approximately 181,000 e-voting eligible voters (3.24% of all eligible voters).

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Source Validity: What independent security audits has Swiss Post's e-voting system undergone since the Basel-Stadt incident, and are the results publicly accessible?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: To what extent is Swiss Post, as the system provider, involved in assessing the security and reliability, and are there control mechanisms by independent third parties?

  3. Causality/Alternatives: The Federal Government attributes the Basel-Stadt incident to "handling errors" – how was it ruled out that system weaknesses also played a role, and what alternative explanations were examined?

  4. Feasibility/Risks: What concrete measures were taken to secure the handling of PIN-protected USB sticks in Lucerne, and how will these be verified?

  5. Scalability: How is it ensured that doubling the number of e-voting eligible voters (from ~90,000 to ~181,000) does not introduce new process risks?

  6. Transparency: Will detailed audit reports from the cantons and the Federal Chancellery be made available, or will they remain internal documents?

Sources

Primary Source: Federal Council – Electronic Voting: Canton Lucerne Receives Basic Permit – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/2iAmj7WTEEDAqazAiyeMD

Verification Status: ✓ 24.06.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Checking: 24.06.2026