DIRECT DEMO-CRAZY

Last month, I once again did my civic duty (or privilege, as I prefer to view it) as a Swiss citizen: I voted in a national referendum.

Other countries argue over national elections every few years and then leave it to the lawmakers to make the actual decisions. But not so in Switzerland, where democracy is served four times a year, fondue-style, and every citizen is invited to dip their bread into the bubbling pot of policy.

On the electoral menu this time: The introduction of an electronic ID card. An earlier proposal had been rejected in 2021, amid concerns the data would be held centrally, and controlled by private providers. Four years on, the revised proposal keeps the system in government hands, and data will be stored only on the smartphones of individual users. Importantly, the digital IDs will be optional, so citizens can continue to use physical IDs if they so choose.

Even so, the vote barely squeaked through with a razor-thin majority of 50.39%. Which means half of Switzerland said: 'Sure, let's trust the government.' The other half said: 'Over my dead body.'

Meanwhile, in a regional vote in the east of the country, people voted – also by the slimmest of margins – to abolish a 30-year-old ban on dancing on religious holidays. That's right: until now, busting out the Macarena on Good Friday could technically get you in trouble.

The margin was so tight, it’s rumoured that one confused voter who thought they were voting on cheese subsidies may have tipped the balance.

But don't grab your disco shoes just yet: the result means that non-religious events will now be allowed to take place on Good Friday, Easter or Whit Sunday, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving, but only with up to 500 people. And only if the event takes place indoors.

Because nothing says freedom like carefully measured, bureaucratically approved freedom.

And folks in Zurich decided with a clear 62% majority to ban petrol-powered leaf blowers, because they're too loud, too dirty, and too annoying. Which is peak Swiss: not only do they want clean streets, they also want quiet ones. Only electric leaf blowers will be allowed, but only in the months of October to December. So if your tree has the audacity to shed foliage in July – though luck. Grab a rake.

Exemptions exist for 'major events', though your cousin's garden barbecue probably doesn't qualify. Unless, of course, you invite 500 people and hold it indoors on Good Friday.

The Swiss are nothing if not thorough when it comes to designing new laws!

Swiss democracy is powerful, but it's also deeply cautious. Many reforms barely clear the necessary threshold, if they pass at all. Progress is slow, deliberate, and politely skeptical. For every bold step forward, there’s a long list of things that remain stubbornly traditional – like the famous ban on Sunday shopping.

Yes, you can vote on whether to digitise your identity. Yes, you can banish garden gadgets to the dustbin of history. But if you want to buy socks or a bottle of wine on a Sunday? Forget it. Direct democracy giveth, and direct democracy taketh away.

And that’s the magic of Swiss democracy: no decision is too small, too absurd, or too detailed to escape a national debate. Democracy in Switzerland isn’t just alive and well – it’s alive, well, and occasionally hilarious.

Meanwhile, I'm proud to have helped Switzerland adopt electronic IDs... by mailing in my paper ballot. The irony!