REPUBLIQUE
ET CANTON
DE GENEVE

 

Ge.ch > Thèmes > Citoyenneté > Votations - Elections > Votations > E-Voting > FAQ

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Political rights
2. Organisation of polling
3. Internet voting
4. Online voting is so simple
5. Frequent problems
6. Checking the voting site certificate
7. I have voted but I would still like to know...
8. Data protection
9. I would also like to know

2. Organisation of polling

How long before the ballot will I receive the documentation and voting material?

For federal ballots you receive the material three weeks before the Sunday on which the ballot is held. For cantonal and municipal ballots, it is received ten day before. If a cantonal or municipal ballot takes place on the same date as a federal one, federal rules apply.

I have lost my voting material. Where can I get a duplicate?

To get a duplicate of your voting material, you must call the Service des votations et élections (SVE) on 022 546 52 00, from 9am to 4pm. The SVE will send you a copy insofar as there is enough time before the ballot.

You can also go to the SVE premises with an identity document, between 9am and 4pm. The address is: 25, route des Acacias (corner of rue Adrien-Wyss). The office is also open on the Sunday morning of the ballot, from 10am to midday and you can vote on site.

How do you know that it is really me who has voted?

The SVE checks all postal votes it receives to ensure that the voting cards are signed and that the date of birth given by the voter is correct. Since there is no public register of dates of birth, you are protected from having your right to vote stolen.

Furthermore, around 1200 voting cards are kept from one ballot to the next in order to compare signatures.

In the event of internet voting, the voter must also enter his municipality of origin to validate his vote. There is no public register of these municipalities.

For elections, the SVE calls a sample of 4000 to 8000 voters who have voted (between 4% and 8% of voters on the basis of a 50% turnout) to ensure that they have voted alone and freely.

How is ballot counting organised?

Here we must distinguish between popular votes and elections.

For popular votes, postal ballot papers are counted by optical scanner by the SVE on the Sunday morning of the ballot. Internet votes are also counted on the Sunday morning of the ballot. Votes cast at polling stations on the Sunday morning are counted directly at these stations, and then recounted at the SVE.

For elections, a centralised counting structure comprised of several hundred people is set up. Postal ballot papers are sent to the polling stations where they are sorted, list by list, into unmodified and modified ballot papers. The results of this initial sorting are sent to the centralised counting structure together with the ballot papers. This structure systematically enters all the ballot papers, which is repeated again to prevent any error.

How are electoral juries appointed?

The municipal councils appoint the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the polling stations. The latter call up the jury members that they need. For centralised counting for elections, the State Chancellery appoints the electoral boards. Citizens standing for election cannot exercise the function of Chair, Vice-Chair, secretary or electoral board member for this election.

Do I have to be an electoral juror if appointed?

Yes, you must respond to an official notification under penalty of a fine. However, you can be excused if you have a valid reason.

Can I attend the ballot counting at my polling station?

Yes, the counting is open to the public (art. 66 of the Geneva law on exercising political rights).

Who supervises electoral operations?

Since 1^st January 2010, electoral operations in the canton of Geneva have been monitored by a Central Electoral Committee (CEC), instituted by article 48, para. 4 of the Cantonal Constitution and approved on 8 February 2009 by a popular vote. This paragraph stipulates that, "electoral operations are monitored by a Central Electoral Committee appointed by the Cantonal Government".

The remit and composition of the CEC are stipulated in articles 73 to 75 of the law on the exercising of political rights (LEDP, A 5 05).

Art. 73 General summary

¹ A general summary of the votes is given publicly, as soon as possible, by the State Chancellery and under the supervision of the Central Electoral Committee.

Art. 75A Central Electoral Committee

¹ Electoral operations are monitored by a Central Electoral Committee. The law on official committees, of 18 September 2009, is applicable to the Central Electoral Committee.

² The Central Electoral Committee is comprised of one member of each party represented in the Grand Council and of four independent members, as well as five substitute members appointed by the Cantonal Government, for a period corresponding to one term of office of the Grand Council.

³ The members must enjoy the use of their political rights in the canton throughout their term of office.

⁴ Any member who stands as a candidate in an election must decline to monitor the election in question.

⁵ Being a member of the Central Electoral Committee is incompatible with any elective term of office within a public authority.

Art. 75B Monitoring powers

¹ The Central Electoral Committee has access to all operations of the electoral process. It immediately receives all the reports and documents drawn up during the electoral operations.

² The Central Electoral Committee also monitors correct functioning of e-voting, as well as that of the technical means used during all electoral operations.

³ The Central Electoral Committee can also carry out checks, at any time, independently of an electoral operation.

⁴ Any irregularity noted by a member of the Central Electoral Committee must be reported to its Chairman as soon as possible, who will pass on the information to the State Chancellery, or, before counting begins, to the Service des votations et élections.

⁵ Any member of the Central Electoral Committee can have his observations noted in the reports stipulated in articles 71 and 73, paragraph 2.

These provisions do not have an equivalent elsewhere in Switzerland. They enable the committee to cover the entire cycle of an electoral operation, from the electoral campaign to publication of the results, to monitoring financing of the parties and visiting polling stations.

The CEC activity report is available at: www.ge.ch/codof/rapports_activite_2010-2014.asp and its composition can be accessed at: http://etat.geneve.ch/codof/ui/CaiUiFicheCodof.jsp.

Last updated: January 2012