The process of checking the signatures is currently still ongoing, Stephan Ziegler, head of elections and voting, told the Keystone-SDA news agency when asked. The canton will also examine whether and what measures need to be taken. He did not say which proposal this involves.
Again «Daily Advertiser» reported that there are problems with the initiative for digital integrity, which the Pirate Party recently submitted with 9,841 signatures. “In our discussions with the city of Zurich, we have increasingly noticed irregularities in the signature sheets,” says Ziegler. The canton now has until the end of November to clarify whether the initiative has come to fruition. According to Ziegler, legal action will be considered if necessary.
Over 17 percent of the signatures were invalid
The city of Zurich received 6,561 signatures for the Pirate Party’s initiative before submitting it for certification. According to the newspaper, 17.2 percent of these signatures – or about 1,100 – turned out to be invalid.
The 17 percent or so are slightly above the usual range of invalidity in the city. Rates of 8 to 12 percent are normal in Switzerland, but a rate of up to 15 percent is not unusual, says Christina Stücheli, information officer for the city council. Invalid signatures can be found in every collection. Often the intention is not a forgery.
“So far, we have not received any negative feedback from authorities,” says the Pirate Party.
In order to get an initiative to the ballot box in the city of Zurich or in the canton, comparatively few supporters are needed. In the city, 3,000 signatures are required, in the canton, 6,000.
Federal Prosecutor’s Office investigates suspected election fraud
On Monday, the Tamedia newspapers made public that commercial companies had allegedly cheated when collecting signatures for popular initiatives. Signatures were allegedly forged. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is investigating on suspicion of electoral fraud.
The Tamedia newspapers wrote that people behind the Service-Citoyen initiative had become suspicious because of the large number of invalid signatures and had filed criminal charges. The signatures in question had been collected by the company Incop in exchange for money. In some cases, entire sheets of paper from older referendums had apparently been copied.
Federal Chancellery examines measures
Apparently, other popular initiatives and commercial signature collectors are also affected. At the beginning of 2019, several municipalities reported possible cases of fraud to the canton, Christian Duvoisin, head of the Municipalities and Cantons Department at the Vaud cantonal administration, told the Tamedia newspapers. The municipalities were then asked to systematically report irregularities.
The Federal Chancellery is currently examining whether further immediate measures are indicated and necessary in the areas of prevention, instruction, science and legislation. The focus here is on closer monitoring of signature collections, advising the cantons, municipalities and committees involved and possible technical solutions.
(sda/hap)
