Why do so few foreigners vote in Switzerland even though they can?

Foreigners in a handful of Swiss municipalities and cantons are able to vote in some elections, but many of them don’t. We look at the reasons behind this, and how the canton of Fribourg wants to change this.

Switzerland is home to around 2.4 million foreigners – around 27 percent of the total population.

While people without Swiss citizenship cannot vote at the federal level, a number of foreigners can vote at the cantonal and municipal level.

It all depends on where they live. Cantons and municipalities can decide whether – and under what conditions – non-Swiss residents have political rights at these levels.

At the moment, a small number of cantons and municipalities – mostly in the French-speaking part of the country – have extended voting rights.

For instance the cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura, Fribourg and Vaud allow non-citizens to vote, elect officials and stand for election at communal level.

Neuchâtel, and Jura also allow international residents the right to vote at the cantonal level, while Geneva, which has the largest foreign population in Switzerland, (45 percent), grants foreigners voting rights at communal level, but they can’t run for office.

Conditions vary from one canton to another, but in most cases a certain length of stay and/or a residence permit are required.

In German-speaking Switzerland, only a few municipalities in Appenzell and Graubünden allow foreigners to vote in some cases.

What’s happening in Fribourg?

The bilingual canton of Fribourg has around 40,000 foreigners living there – but very few of them choose to vote.

With municipalities holding their elections in March 2026, the canton wants to change the tide, and motivate foreign residents, who hold a C permit and have been resident in the canton for at least five years, to go to the ballot box.

Local authorities have launched a multi-language campaign called ‘Your vote counts’. It includes posters, explanatory videos and testimonials, all with the hope of reminding foreign residents that they have a right to vote (and stand for election) on the municipal level.

The aim is to get more people voting. “We are seeing a decline in interest in political participation – and this is by no means limited to the migrant community,” said Guiseppina Greco, Integration Delegate for the Canton of Fribourg.

Patrice Borcard, president of the Cantonal Commission for the Integration of Migrants and the Prevention of Racism (CMR), said the campaign was important because foreign nationals may not even be aware that they can vote.

“This right, which is enshrined in Article 48 of the Fribourg Constitution, applies to almost 40,000 people and deserves to be better known and more visible,” Borcard said. “It is a matter of social cohesion.”

“Local democracy thrives on the diversity of voices that make it up,” added State Councillor Romain Collaud.

“Voting means exercising a right, but also actively contributing to the life of your community and participating in decisions that shape our everyday lives.”

Voter turnout low for foreigners

The picture is similar in other parts of Switzerland.

Although foreign nationals are allowed to participate in politics, many are reluctant to do so. A study by the University of Neuchâtel showed that voter turnout among the foreign population is significantly lower than among Swiss citizens.

For instance, in La Punt Chamues-ch, a small municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Grisons, foreigners have the right to vote and stand for election, yet only a few take advantage of this. Of roughly 40 eligible voters, just four to six participate in municipal elections, according to Urs Niederegger, the municipal clerk, who spoke to Swiss broadcaster SRF. So far, no one holding a C permit has stood for election to the municipal parliament.

Similarly, participation remains low in other regions: in the canton of Neuchâtel, only 18 percent of foreigners engage in the political process. In Geneva, the figure rises slightly to 23 percent, though turnout among the Spanish and Portuguese communities is particularly low, at 17 and 13 percent respectively, according to reporting by the NZZ newspaper.

A view of Freibourg. Image by Hans from Pixabay

Why is participation so low?

There are many reasons behind the low turnout.

Daniel Kübler, professor of political science at the University of Zurich, said recently that low participation is common when political rights are newly extended. Groups that have historically been excluded from voting – such as women – need time to develop a sense of identification with those rights, he said.

Kübler described it as “a very long-term effect that has to do with political socialisation”.

Meanwhile, some foreign communities or individuals may have more of an interest in the politics of their home country, especially if they plan on returning in the future.

Then there’s the fact that the rules are complicated. Given that the requirements differ across Swiss cantons and municipalities, there is likely confusion over who is actually eligible to vote.

Foreign residents also can’t vote at the federal level, meaning they don’t have a say on many matters that are important to their lives.

Another factor is the rise of anti-immigration rhetoric in Switzerland, which can discourage foreign residents from feeling accepted and engaging in civic life.