Swiss prosecutors investigate allegations of false voter lists in direct democracy

According to news on September 3, 2024, the Swiss federal prosecutor said it has ordered house searches and interrogations to launch an investigation into possible electoral fraud. Previously, an advocacy group discovered thousands of false signatures in the voter list, an incident that has shocked Switzerland's proud direct democracy system.

Swiss media group Tamedia's newspapers first reported this matter. The "Citizen Service" initiative organization has filed a criminal lawsuit, accusing possible malfeasance that could distort Swiss election results. After Noemi Rothen, co-chair of the organization, commissioned an external company to collect about 10,000 signatures on the voter list last year, nearly one-third were suspected to be false, involving issues such as false addresses, forged birth dates and duplicate signatures. Rothen submitted a 236-page report to the Swiss Attorney General's Office, which said it is investigating. Rothen said in a telephone interview that these findings could endanger Swiss citizens' confidence in direct democracy.

In Switzerland, postal voting is the main way for voters to vote. The four national referendums each year give citizens a direct say in decision-making. The next national referendum is scheduled for September 22. Biodiversity projects are one of the voting topics. Advocacy groups and others need to collect at least 100,000 signatures from eligible voters to propose a national referendum. Sometimes they turn to external companies. The Swiss Federal Chancellery, which is responsible for supervising national elections, did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment on the possible impact of suspected improper behavior.