The official voting papers are sent to your home address between three and four weeks before a federal vote or election. From then on you can vote by post. Do not wait too long, though. To get your ballot to the election office on time, you need to send it the week before the election – on the Thursday for priority mail (A post) and on the Tuesday for regular mail (B post).

Information about when and where you can vote at the ballot box is included in the envelope with the voting papers.

Voting by post

You can vote by post. Follow the instructions in the voting materials sent to you and return your completed ballot to your electoral commune. In some cantons and communes you are required to pay postage when sending back the ballot envelope.

Some communes provide a letterbox or a special ballot box in which you can place your ballot up to the Sunday of the vote or election (no postage necessary). The commune will tell you until when exactly you can drop off your envelope.

Casting your vote at the ballot box

You can cast your vote directly at the polling station in the commune where you live. Take along the voting papers you received by post and some form of ID (ID card, passport).

Make sure you know where the polling station is in your commune, and its opening hours. This information is usually printed on the envelope containing the voting papers. If in doubt, contact your commune directly.

e-voting

Some cantons are conducting e-voting trials. During this period, a limited number of eligible voters will be able to cast their votes online. For more information, have a look at page on e-voting.