E-ID vote: political scientist sees public mistrust in Swiss authorities

Swiss voters have accepted an electronic proof of identity (e-ID), but there is a mistrust of the state. Political scientist Lukas Golder from gfs.bern analyses the reasons for this. At first the vote seemed to be a clear-cut yes, but then it turned into a nail-biter. What happened? We saw a mobilisation effect in the countryside, which we’ve seen previously with the pesticide and drinking water initiative. Farming communities were very strongly activated and with them criticism of the authorities. The no vote came from this. Pollsters didn’t see this coming. Was there a blind spot? The mobilisation in this sector took place within a very short space of time. The fact that this segment of the electorate could be mobilised so quickly and to such an extent is astonishing. The driving force behind this was a heavily funded campaign by the Homeowners’ Association with the support of the Farmers’ Association. This mobilisation swept up the e-ID and put pressure on the result. What did ...