Civic Responsibilities

Last week, I received a package of election materials in the mail.  They were not from the United States.  Regular elections there will not occur before 2012, although that is a real shame, given some of the mind-blowing wretches who were voted into office in 2010.  I fervently wish that some, among them the Governor of Wisconsin, would slink off into the parallel universe they inhabit that bears little resemblance to the Real World.

No, these materials were sent to me by the Préfecture in Lausanne.

Being in the throes of a writing project when the unexpected package arrived, I set it aside until the weekend.  It was somewhat daunting, to say the least.  The thick package of materials included three different voting lists, with a total of 71 candidates.  Fortuitously for me, Catherine Nelson-Pollard came to my rescue with a well-timed blog post about local elections in Vaud and I realized what a lovely privilege I have.

Switzerland is unique among Western countries in that it practices direct democracy.  Any Swiss citizen has the right to challenge any Swiss law at any time.  As was made clear to me by the mailing, paper ballots are used.  Voting here occurs approximately four times a year on various issues.  The issues may include Referendums, where policies are directly voted upon by the people and elections, where public officials are selected.  In fact, the materials I received are for elections in my commune (municipality), for our Mayor (syndic) and Municipal Council (conseil communal).

All Swiss citizens 18 and over are eligible to vote.  In recent years, some Swiss cantons, Geneva and Vaud among them, have also granted foreigners the right to vote in communal elections provided they meet certain conditions.  In addition to being 18 years old, the voting requirements for foreigners in Vaud, where I live, are the following:

- They have lived continuously and legally in Switzerland for at least the past ten years;

- They have lived continuously and legally in Vaud for at least the past three years;

- They are currently legal residents of a commune in Vaud and have declared that residence to Swiss authorities.

After nearly 17 years of living here, with recent changes to the voting law insofar as it relates to foreign residents, I finally tick all the boxes so that I am considered eligible to vote here.   This right is limited to communal elections only.  Unless I become a Swiss national, I cannot vote in cantonal or federal elections, nor may I vote on a referendum. 

Unlike the United States, where two political parties dominate, even though political philosophies within each may cover a wide spectrum, here there are seven.  Ranging from the “left” to the “right” of the political spectrum, they are: Parti POP-Gauche en movement-La Gauche; the Parti Verts et Ouverts; the Parti Socialiste; the Parti Indépendant (PIN); the Parti Vert’Libéral; the Parti PLR-Les Libéraux-Radicaux and the Parti Union Démocratique du Centre.  One can see where things get confused.  The one thing that one can pretty much count on is that when one votes for a member of a particular political party, that individual believes in and is representative of that party's philosophy.  So research is required before these elections, which are scheduled for 13 March. 

I have three different lists.  One list contains only one name so it appears fairly simple.  The second contains six names, of which I may vote for five, or I may write in up to five other eligible candidates.  The third contains a list of 64 names.  I may vote for a maximum of 55 of these, or I may write in up to 55 names of other eligible individuals.  Where required, supplemental run-off elections will be scheduled in April.

In 1964, when I left the United States to work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, I was 20 years old.  The voting age in the US was 21 at that time, so I was not eligible to vote that year.  Because I did not live in the United States again until 1970, the first US Presidential election in which I was able to vote occurred in 1972, when I was 28 years old.  That was a long time to wait.  But I proudly cast an anti-war vote for Senator George McGovern.  I am still proud of that vote.

The voting age in the US has long since been lowered to 18.  For me, the right to vote has always been one that I have exercised at every opportunity.  Whether I have liked the options or not, there has always been a clear choice for me.  Having received this privilege, even limited as it is, here in Switzerland, I will do my best to exercise it responsibly.