Deprived of a voice
Too young, too foreign, too different? Fifty years on from the introduction of voting and electoral rights for women, the issue of political participation is still a hot topic. A historical overview of disenfranchisement in Switzerland.
Hannes Mangold
Hannes Mangold is responsible for research partnerships at Schweizerische Mobiliar Genossenschaft. He creates exhibitions, books and projects at the intersection of science, art and history.
All people are equal and, accordingly, they deserve the same rights: this dream, inspired by the ideals of Greek antiquity, the American Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution, was also incorporated into the Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848. In reality, however, equality was limited to an exclusive group. In 1848 ‘every Swiss citizen over the age of twenty’ was declared eligible to vote in referenda and elections. As is well known, this didn’t include women.
No vote without a passport
No voting by minors
No vote for the mentally disabled
Counting those under a general deputyship, minors and foreigners, more than a third of Switzerland’s population cannot vote in either referenda or elections. This exclusion is often justified with the argument that these groups are not mature enough to cast an eligible vote. Until 1971, the same argument was applied to women. In retrospect, one can only marvel at this. At best, this bemusement may prompt us to ask why more than a third of the resident population is permitted only limited access to participation in the political process. The question of whether a whole new voter segment would in fact stream to the ballot box is hardly relevant. For 50 years, more than half of voters in Switzerland have consistently failed to take part in referenda. But there’s a big difference between having the right to vote, and exercising that right. In the end, the decision not to exercise one’s political rights is also a privilege.
