National referendums held in Switzerland in 2018
Ten national referendums were held in Switzerland in 2018. Polling took place on 4 March, 10 June, 23 September and 25 November.
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Ten national referendums were held in Switzerland in 2018. Polling took place on 4 March, 10 June, 23 September and 25 November.
Two referendums were held on 4 March. One was on a Federal Decree on the new Financial Regulation 2021, which would extend the right of the federal government to levy VAT and direct federal tax until 2035; [1] this was approved by 84% of voters. The other was the "Yes to the abolition of radio and television fees" popular initiative, which proposed abolishing the licence fee that provides the majority of funding for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. [1] The proposal was rejected by the Federal Assembly in 2017, [2] and by 72% of voters in the referendum.
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Financial Regulation 2021 | 2,358,086 | 84.1 | 445,464 | 15.9 | 100,497 | 2,904,047 | 5,391,090 | 53.87 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Approved |
| Abolition of Radio and Television Fees | 833,837 | 28.4 | 2,098,302 | 71.6 | 24,215 | 2,956,354 | 54.84 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Source: Federal Chancellery of Switzerland 1, 2 | |||||||||||||
Two referendums were held on 10 June; one on the Sovereign Money Initiative proposal and one on the Federal Gambling Act. [3]
The Sovereign Money Initiative proposal aims to give the Swiss National Bank a monopoly on money creation. [4] It was launched by the Monetary Modernisation Association, without the support of any political party. [5] The collection of signatures began on 3 June 2014, [4] and the initiative was submitted to the Federal Chancellery on 1 December 2015 with over 110,000 valid signatures, despite its technical subject and without the support of political parties or other civil society organizations. [5] The Federal Assembly recommended rejecting the initiative.
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout % | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Sovereign Money Initiative | 442,387 | 24.3 | 1,379,540 | 75.7 | 44,042 | 1,865,969 | 5,400,197 | 34.6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected |
| Federal Gambling Act | 1,326,207 | 72.9 | 492,024 | 27.1 | 45,723 | 1,863,954 | 34.5 | Approved | |||||
| Source: Federal Chancellery of Switzerland 1, 2 | |||||||||||||
Three referendums were held on 23 September. The first was aimed at requiring the federal government to consider cycle paths in the same way as footpaths and hiking trails, [6] the second would require the government to promote environmentally sound, animal-friendly and fairly produced foodstuffs, [7] and the third to focus agriculture policy on small, family farms and to promote sustainable, diverse and gene-technology-free agriculture. [8] The cycle paths initiative was approved, whilst the food and agriculture ones were rejected.
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout % | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Cycle Initiative | 1,475,000 | 73.6 | 529,253 | 26.4 | 24,603 | 2,028,856 | 5,412,449 | 37.5 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Approved |
| Fair Food Initiative | 774,821 | 38.7 | 1,227,326 | 61.3 | 28,699 | 2,030,846 | 37.5 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Agricultural Policy | 628,301 | 31.6 | 1,358,894 | 68.4 | 40,803 | 2,027,998 | 37.5 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Source: Federal Chancellery of Switzerland 1, 2, 3 | |||||||||||||
Three referendums were held on 25 November. The first proposal aimed to subsidise farmers who did not dehorn their livestock. [9] [10] [11] The second proposal would have explicitly given the Swiss Federal Constitution precedence over international law whenever the two contradict. [12] [13] The third initiative would allow insurance companies to hire their own detectives to spy on individuals suspected of abusing social welfare privileges. [14] [15] [16]
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout % | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Subsidising farmers not dehorning their livestock | 1,144,845 | 45.3 | 1,384,027 | 54.7 | 89,375 | 2,618,247 | 5,420,789 | 48.3 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 4 | Rejected |
| Giving the Swiss constitution precedence over international law | 872,288 | 33.7 | 1,713,501 | 66.3 | 38,347 | 2,624,136 | 48.4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Allowing insurance companies to use private detectives | 1,667,849 | 64.7 | 909,172 | 35.3 | 45,370 | 2,622,391 | 48.4 | Approved | |||||
| Source: Federal Chancellery of Switzerland 1, 2, 3 | |||||||||||||
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Switzerland are progressive by world standards. Social attitudes and the legal situation have liberalised at an increasing pace since the 1940s, in parallel to the situation in Europe and the Western world more generally. Legislation providing for same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, and IVF access was accepted by 64% of voters in a referendum on 26 September 2021, and entered into force on 1 July 2022.
Abortion in Switzerland is legal during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, upon condition of counseling, for women who state that they are in distress. It is also legal with medical indications – threat of severe physical or psychological damage to the woman – at any later time. Switzerland is among the developed nations with the lowest rates of abortions and unwanted pregnancies.
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Ten referendums were held in Switzerland during 2008. The first two were held on 24 February on business tax reform and aircraft noise. A further three were held on 1 June on public information campaigns, naturalisation and health reform. The final five were held on 30 November on legalising cannabis, making the pension age flexible, restricting the right of appeal of associations against construction projects, amending the constitutional article on narcotics and eliminating the statute of limitations with respect to pornographic crimes against children.
Eight referendums were held in Switzerland during 2009. The first was held on 8 February on extending the freedom of movement for workers from Bulgaria and Romania. The next two were held on 17 May 2009 on introducing biometric passports and the "Future with complementary medicine" proposal. A further two were held on 27 September on increasing VAT and the introduction of public initiatives. The final three were held on 29 November on banning the construction of new minarets, exporting weapons and the use of aviation fuel taxation.
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Two referendums were held in Switzerland during 1942. The first was held on 25 January on a popular initiative that would provide for the direct election of the Federal Council, as well as increasing the number of members. It was rejected by voters. The second was held on 3 May on a popular initiative "for the reorganisation of the National Council", and was also rejected.
Twelve national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2014.
In Switzerland, the federal popular initiative "against mass immigration" was a referendum that aimed to limit immigration through quotas, as it had been prior to the bilateral treaties between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) launched in 2002.
Six national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2015, the first of which were held on 8 March.
Thirteen national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2016.
Seven national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2017. Polling took place on 12 February, 21 May and 24 September, whilst no referendum was scheduled for the November date.
Several federal referendums were held in Switzerland in 2019, with votes taking place on 10 February and 19 May. Federal parliamentary elections were held on 20 October, which led the Swiss Federal Council to postpone the November round of voting until 2020.
Several federal referendums were held in Switzerland in 2020, with voting on 9 February, 27 September and 29 November. Voting was also planned for 17 May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum was a facultative referendum held in Switzerland on 26 September 2021 about an amendment to the Civil Code to legalise marriage between people of the same sex, as well as adoption rights for same-sex couples and access to assisted reproductive technology for lesbian couples. The amendment was called "marriage for all" in Swiss public discourse.
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