3 Type and trigger
referendum, Centre for Research on Direct Democracy (C2D), direct democracy, report, worldwide
3.1 National and cantonal referendum types
Figure 3.1 compares the proportion of different types of referendums at the national and subnational (cantonal) levels in Switzerland.
As can be seen in Panel (a), mandatory referendums make up a significant share of national referendums, accounting for 28.4% of the total. Optional referendums are similarly prominent, constituting 30.9% of all national referendums. Citizens’ initiatives make up 34.6%. The sizable share of the latter two categories reflect the active role of citizen-driven processes in Switzerland’s direct democracy, despite their rather low acceptance rate (see Chapter 6). Counter proposals are less frequent, accounting for 6.1%.
In comparison to the national level, the cantonal level shown in Panel (b) exhibits a very significant pattern of referendum types. Dominating are mandatory referendums, which represent over half of all subnational referendums (59.2%), underscoring the centrality of constitutionally mandated issues at the cantonal level. Citizens’ initiatives follow with 18.0%, while optional referendums represent 15.3%, showing that citizen-initiated processes are also an important part of cantonal democracy, although comparatively less so than on the national level. Counter proposals and governmental referendums represent smaller shares, with 4.3% and 3.3% respectively.
These charts highlight the differences between national and subnational referendums. Nationally, optional referendums and citizens’ initiatives are more common, while at the cantonal level, mandatory referendums are more dominant. However, as seen before, there is variance between cantons on several dimensions. This only shows an overall picture of referendums at the cantonal level and should not be used to make inferences about individual cantons.
3.2 Cantonal type variations
Figure 3.2 depicts the different types of referendums by canton. The distribution is very diverse across the cantons. However, mandatory referendums constitute the largest part of referendums in all cantons, except Appzenzell Innerrhoden, Nidwalden and Vaud (where citizens’ initatives dominate) and Basel Stadt and Ticino (where optional referendums constitute the largest share).
3.3 Referendums by institutional trigger type
Similarly to the depiction before, Figure 3.3 presents two donut charts, this time showing the distribution of referendums by institutional trigger type for national and subnational referendums in Switzerland. Visible from Panel (a), the majority of referendums (65.9%) are triggered through bottom-up mechanisms on the national level, reflecting the strong role of engagement by constituents in Switzerland’s direct democracy. Automatic referendums, triggered by constitutional or legal requirements, make up 27.6% of the total. Top-down referendums, initiated by the government or parliament, account for only 6.5% of national referendums.
This distribution stands in much contrast to the cantonal level, depicted in Panel (b). Automatic referendums dominate, representing 58.6% of the total. Bottom-up referendums, initiated by citizens, account for 33.1%, showing that citizen-driven referendums also play a significant role at the cantonal level, albeit to a lesser extent. Top-down referendums, initiated by cantonal governments or legislatures, make up 8.3% of subnational referendums, reflecting a similar role for governmental initiatives as on the national level.
These charts highlight the various dynamics between national and subnational referendums in Switzerland. While bottom-up mechanisms are dominant at the national level, cantonal referendums are more heavily initiated by automatic triggers. It is however important, to point again to the variance between cantons.