|
Proposal or initiative
and thumbnail description or background. |
Popular vote
yes-no (percent) |
Canton vote
yes-no (absolute #) |
|
(Where no cantonal vote total is given, the measure had already passed the parliament and therefore needed only popular approval.
Where popular vote conflicts with canton vote, results are underlined) |
Constitutional revision (1848 -- yes)
See discussion in Chap. 5. |
73-27 |
15½ - 6½ |
Jewish immigration (1866 -- yes)
Provided for establishment of Jewish immigrants with political rights and religious freedom. One of the only such laws in Europe prior to 1945. |
53-47 |
12½ - 9½ |
Constitutional revision (1872 -- no)
This draft would have virtually eliminated referendum and was narrowly defeated. |
49-51 |
9-13 |
Constitutional revision (1874 -- yes)
New draft includes referendum, consolidates federal military and foreign policy. |
63-37 |
14½ - 7½ |
Bank note monopoly for the state (1880 -- no)
Ultimately approved in 1891 after several rewrites. |
31-69 |
4-18 |
Popular initiative (1891 -- yes)
No longer limited to opposing laws they do not want, Swiss citizens could now propose constitutional laws they do want. |
60-40 |
18-4 |
"Aufnahme des Schachtverbotes" (1893 -- yes)
The first "initiative," regarding the butchering of animals. |
60-40 |
11½ - 10½ |
Establish Bundesbank (1897 -- no)
One of many proposals on central bank establishment
and management rejected by the Swiss voters. |
44-56 |
|
Right to work (1894 -- no)
Legislation limiting ability of trade unions to compel membership. |
18-82 |
0-22 |
Proportional voting for Nationalrat (1910 -- no)
Later approved (1918). Also a rare case of the cantons supporting an initiative, the popular vote having been against. |
48-52 |
12-10 |
Proportional voting for Nationalrat (1918 -- yes)
One of the demands of workers in the national strike -- see Chap. 6, "Executives Branch." |
67-33 |
19½ - 2½ |
Join League of Nations (1919 -- yes)
A tentative step from pure neutrality -- regretted when the Swiss see the weak reaction to Italy's 1935 war on Ethiopia. |
|
|
Expansion of employee rights (1920 -- no)
Measure passed by parliament after the national strike, overturned by the voters. Elements of the proposal were later (1950s) adopted in legislation that was not challenged. |
49-51 |
|
New customs duties (1923 -- no)
Postwar yearnings for a "return to normalcy." |
27-63 |
½ - 21½ |
Military training, building program (1935 -- yes)
Principally to counter the Nazi threat. Note the year: At this time, Britain, France, and the United States all were rapidly reducing their defense establishments. |
54-46 |
|
Establish Romansch as a national language (1938 -- yes)
One of several 1930s measures designed in part to solidify Swiss identity as separate from Germany. "Our diversity of people and language is a strength," a member of the national council said in advocating the measure -- a pointed allusion to Nazi theories of racial and linguistic "purity." |
92-8 |
22-0 |
Reduce "facultative" referendum (1938 -- no)
As war neared, Swiss leaders felt hampered by the possibility needed laws would be overturned. Several national leaders organized an initiative to temporarily undo this string. Swiss voters strongly rejected this notion. This may have been one factor (among many) in stiffening the resistance of Swiss elites to the Nazis. Some historians argue this deprived Swiss leaders (if they ever had such inclinations) of the possibility of yielding to Hitlerian threats as others did. |
15-85 |
0-22 |
Overturn military training law (1940 -- no)
Attempt to block wartime training measures, increased drilling levels that had been approved by parliament. |
44-56 |
|
Increase power, discretion of national bank (1949 -- no)
Helped force a resolution of the Swiss financial crisis in 1950 that put the country in postwar recovery -- see next item. |
38-62 |
11½ - 20½ |
Finance package for 1951 -1954 (1950 -- yes)
Followed the rejection of the government's austerity-minded budget and monetary plans of 1948-49. Coinciding with the start of the Marshall Plan and monetary reform in Switzerland and most of Europe (Germany 1948, Britain 1951), this helped launch the postwar Wirtschaftswunder. |
69-31 |
20-2 |
Consumer protection law ( 1955 -- no)
Would have been one of the earliest such statutes in the world. Also a rare case of popular support for an initiative (albeit narrow) being overturned by the canton vote. |
50-49 |
7-15 |
44-hour work week (1958 -- yes)
1976 effort to reduce the work week further was
defeated. |
60-40 |
20½ - 1½ |
Voting rights for women (1959 -- no)
Passed in 1971. |
38-62 |
0-22 |
|
Raise daily stipend for Nationalrat (1962 -- no) Swiss officials continue to be among the lowest paid in the world in absolute terms, and are still lower measured against per capita income. |
32-68 |
|
Forbid atomic weaponry to Swiss army (1962 -- no)
Supporters tried again with a more limited restriction in 1963, but failed (see next item). |
21-79 |
4-18 |
Right of referendum before any decision to equip the army with atomic weapons (1963 -- no)
The Swiss do not necessarily want nuclear weapons in their armed forces, but neither do they want to hamstring their leaders in a time of national emergency. One of many cases in which the referendum power declined to expand itself. |
38-62 |
4½ - 17½ |
Liquor tax, other measures to fund efforts to combat alcoholism (1966 -- no)
A rare case of tax or regulatory increase proposal coming from-the initiative process. |
23-77 |
n.a. |
Tobacco tax (1968 -- no)
Many of the parliamentary decisions overturned by "facultative" referendum have involved tax increases. |
48-52 |
|
Voting rights for women (1971 -- yes)
See discussions in text. |
66-34 |
15½ - 6½ |
Agreement with European Common Market (1972 -- yes)
Regarded by some observers as relentlessly isolationist regarding international organizations, the Swiss voter in fact has a mixed, eclectic record. |
73-27 |
22-0 |
New convents, Jesuits allowed (1973 -- yes)
The vote ends a century and a half of official anti-Catholicism in the federal constitution. |
55-45 |
16½ - 5½ |
Against "over-foreignization" (1974 -- no)
Second of a series of measures to reduce immigration. All were defeated as one pro-immigration measure in 1981. |
35-65 |
0-22 |
40-hour work week (1976 -- no)
"We do not mind working only 40 hours a week," a worker told the Tages Anzeiger, "we just don't think it should be mandatory." |
22-78 |
0-22 |
Civil service as a replacement for military duty by religious and ethical objectors (1977 -- no)
Similar measure was rejected in 1984. |
38-62 |
0-22 |
Against over-foreignization (1977 -- no)
Proposal to further restrict immigration. |
29-71 |
0-22 |
Value added tax (1977 -- no)
Rejected several times; ultimately passed. |
40-60 |
1-21 |
Rent control (1977 -- no)
Other measures to protect tenants, approved by parliament and much less extreme, were approved in the 1970s. |
42-58 |
2-20 |
Establish right, federal air pollution limits (1977 -- no)
Later measures for less extreme limits, administered by the cantons, were not challenged. |
39-61 |
1½ - 20½ |
Legalize abortion nationally (1978 -- no)
"Right to life" initiative to make abortion illegal on a national basis also failed, in 1985. Abortion continues to be a concern of the cantons. |
31 -69 |
5½- 17½ |
Vote needed to build highways (1978 -- no)
Note that the Swiss abstained from making its politicians obtain its permission for each proposed national highway. |
49-51 |
9-14 |
Creation of canton of Jura (1978 -- yes)
Swiss culture of consensus defuses a long-simmering dispute. Jura's desire to be independent of Bern had spawned the creation of a terrorist "liberation army" that killed dozens during the 1960s. Interestingly, more than eighty percent of Bernese voters supported the initiative. |
82-18 |
22-0 |
Create federal security police force (1978 -- no)
Proposed specialized, central police forces to protect against terrorism, Soviet espionage, and other threats. The Swiss feared such a move undermined federalism and was a slight but real step toward a police state. |
44-56 |
|
Lower retirement age for social security (1978 -- no)
Would have provided state pension benefits to men at age 60 (instead of 65) and 58 for women (instead of 62). |
21-79 |
0-22 |
Value-added tax (1979 -- no)
One of several taxes or regulatory initiatives rejected but ultimately passed if political leaders made a persistent case of its necessity. Stronger rejection than in 1977 was in sympathy with global move towards lower taxation rates. |
35-65 |
0-23 |
Abolish state support for religion (1980 -- no)
Would have established U.S.-style "separation of church and state," preventing cantons from using tax dollars to support religion, blocking religious teaching in state schools. |
21-79 |
0-23 |
Seatbelts mandatory (1980 -- yes)
Also requires helmet for motorcycle riders. This was a challenge to a law already passed by parliament. Initial surveys suggested overwhelming support for overturning the law, but the politicians convinced the people. |
52-48 |
13-10 |
Immigration liberalization bill (1981 -- no)
Would have eased restrictive limitations on guest workers, providing a right to remain in Switzerland even for guest workers no longer employed. |
14-85 |
0-23 |
Equal rights for men and women (1981 -- yes)
Similar in language to failed U.S. Equal Rights Amendment. |
60-40 |
15 l/2 -7½ |
" Verhinderung missbrauchlicher Preise " (1982 -- yes)
One of the few initiatives to pass in the last 50 years, a consumer protection vote against corporate cartels. |
56-44 |
17-6 |
Civil service as a replacement for military duty by religious and ethical objectors (1984 -- no)
A similar measure later passed. |
36-64 |
0-23 |
Loosen banking protections (1984 -- no)
One of many incremental erosions of bank secrecy protections passed in 1934. All were defeated except those having to do with drag dealers and other alleged international criminals. |
27-73 |
|
"Right to life" -- outlaw abortion (1985 -- no)
Left cantons free to legalize or continue to restrict abortion. 1978 measure to legalize abortion nationally also defeated. |
31-69 |
5½ - 17½ |
Join United Nations (1986 -- no)
The Swiss do not hesitate to involve themselves in good works internationally (the Red Cross) but are chary of any involvement in organizations that might compromise their neutrality. |
24-76 |
0-23 |
Abolish the army (1989 -- no)
See comments of Andreas Gross in chapter 8. |
36-64 |
1½- 21½ |
Join International Monetary Fund (1992 -- yes)
Swiss concerns about neutrality are lower regarding fundamentally commercial or monetary organizations. Even so the country did not join the IMF for a half century after its founding (1943-44.) |
56-44 |
|
Full entry into the European Economic Area (1992 -- no)
Swiss leaders immediately set about negotiating a series of bilateral treaties simulating entry for trade and other policies, completed in 1999. Political union is a live issue for the future, likely to arise again in the 2002-2003 range. |
49.7-50.3 |
7-16 |
|
Ban purchase of U.S. F-18fighter (1993 -- no) |
43-57 |
4-18 |
Increase value added tax (1995 -- yes)
Brought the Swiss closer in line with European Union countries, but not yet "harmonized." |
|
|
Approve new (consolidated) constitution (1999-yes)
Substantively, the constitution was essentially a more tightly worded version of the old constitution, designed to convert various secular measures into laws and reduce the constitution's length. Late in the process, a lively debate ensued about the meaning of various phrases in the preamble, such as commitments to international law, but the draft still passed. (See chapter 5.) |
59-41 |
13-9 |
Restrict foreign-born share of population (2000-no)
Most recent in a series of generally moderate, pro-immigration votes by the Swiss. |
36-64 |
0-23 |