Swiss canton wants to test collection of electronic signatures for initiatives

St Gallen wants to become the first Swiss canton to use electronic signatures (e-collecting) for referendums or initiatives. A government proposal for a pilot project has been put out for consultation. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The St Gallen government wants to be the first canton in Switzerland to create the necessary legal basis for this. This will prevent signature forgeries, which have allegedly occurred in various cantons recently. The electronic signatures would be automatically compared with the voting register. St Gallen State Secretary Benedikt van Spyk explains: “In my view, it is an advantage that you have to identify yourself electronically. A comparison with the voting register checks whether someone is entitled to vote. This does not happen when collecting signatures on the street.” + ‘Signatures scam’ reveals cracks in Swiss system At the same time, it also saves the municipalities effort because the check has already been done, Van ...