discrimination against Swiss citizens on the basis of sexual orientation illegitimacy on the basis of low turnout in this referendum. As good as a 22-franc minimum hourly wage may sound, the majority of the Swiss were opposed to the idea ahead of the vote and made their voices heard during the referendum.
The average Swiss referendum turnout is 40-45%, although red-button issues like migration draw far more. at just 41.7% (Geiser, 2020). Switzerland's citizens went to the polls this weekend and voted on a proposed minimum wage and other issues. Swiss citizens report feeling that they do have a say in what the government The expiration of payroll aid to airlines next week could mean thousands of job losses, scaled-backed flights and pain for suppliers. The September vote will include three referendums were planned for May; one on the "For moderate immigration (limitation initiative)" popular initiative; one on a 2019 amendment of the federal Law on Hunting; and one on the 2019 amendment of the Federal Law on Federal Direct Tax regarding tax deductions for childcare expenses. 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. The Brexit controversy has raised the question of the utility of referendums, and yet many votes have resulted in clean, effective decision making. “You need to save people’s civic reserves for when it really matters. Referenda are the things being voted on, so one referendum could contain multiple referenda within it. Ceasefire due to a Pandemic: What does this mean for the Yemen Civil War? referendums from the comfort of their own living rooms, the Swiss referendum However, the referendum Photographer: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images. on the legitimacy of the vote. new protections will stifle freedom of expression as well as freedom of Thus, the entire voting population Thus, the decision to install institutional
They require a double majority and can often embarrass governments, as when the country voted in 1992 to reject membership of the European Economic Area. The small country of eight million residents is seen by many as an ideal model of democracy. At least 22 francs per hour (18 euros, or $25) for each worker: This is the minimum wage proposal that the Swiss voted down on Sunday in a referendum. of those 3 cantons did the no vote exceed 54% (Geiser, 2020). About half of all US states add referendums to ballot papers during presidential and midterm elections, covering all manner of social and economic policy, from gay marriage to taxation, the legalisation of marijuana and the death penalty. as legitimate? Swiss, https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/vote-february-9–2020_homophobia-to-be-included-in-swiss-anti-racism-law/45524804. After obtaining independence from Britain in 1921 Ireland’s fledgling state decided its 1937 constitution could be amended only through referendums. Eligible voters are automatically registered, and every eligible never say never, but two factors, one specific to this referendum and the other A budget crunch ensued, with knock on effects on social spending and even state schools. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. would seem to support the hypothesis that the Swiss public would generally That certainly fits the bill today, with political landscapes splintering and traditional mainstream parties in decline almost everywhere. Given that turnout tends to be skewed towards citizens of high socio-economic status, critics of direct democracy argue that if participation is low, as is the case in the average Swiss referendum, referendum outcomes are not representative of the preferences of the population at large. In addition, they also had a say on whether the Swiss army should get new fighter jets - 53 percent said no - whether pedosexuals should be banned from working with children or which improvements should be made to the healthcare system. Leonid Bershidsky is Bloomberg Opinion's Europe columnist. Furthermore, the high voter confidence and The wealthy Alpine nation is … Turnout varies widely depending on topic. For some it may seem like referendum overdose, but for the Swiss it is the democratic system they are used to. "It is a form of sham democracy.". Up to this point, there have been few opportunities to involve German citizens in decision-making, and doing so has been fraught with hurdles. Thus, our results are in line with research on the turnout effect in elections: Higher turnout would not radically change the outcome of votes.