How The Red Voting Booklets Are Produced

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The Vogt-Schild printing company in Derendingen is handling a major order for the Swiss government: six million voting booklets are printed for each voting date.

This content was published on February 4, 2025 - 12:00 4 minutes SRF

• Deutsch de So entstehen die roten Abstimmungsbüchlein Original Read more: So entstehen die roten Abstimmungsbüchlei
• Français fr La genèse des fameuses ((brochures rouges)) des votations Read more: La genèse des fameuses ((brochures rouges)) des votation
• Italiano it Così vengono creati i“libretti rossi” delle votazioni Read more: Così vengono creati i“libretti rossi” delle votazion
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For the upcoming vote on February 9, these red voting booklets will once again land in voters' letterboxes. They are produced by Vogt-Schild in Derendingen, Canton Solothurn, under a contract with the federal government to print information booklets for Switzerland's four voting Sundays this year.

However, ensuring the booklets reach households on time requires significant preparation. Just days after the last voting day in November, the print shop was already deep into production for the next booklet, which informs voters about the Environmental Responsibility Initiative.

The voting booklet is printed in four languages – German, Italian, French and Romansh. SRF High-speed production

The machines hum steadily as they churn out booklets.“We're currently producing around 23,000 copies per hour,” explains Rolf Steiner, who has run the Solothurn-based print shop for 23 years. This particular edition requires relatively little work.“The February voting booklet is quite thin – just 16 pages – because there is only one vote topic.”

From a financial perspective, the printing company benefits when Swiss voters decide on multiple issues at once.“For us, it's simple: the more votes, the better,” Steiner says with a grin.“But regardless, it's always a big challenge.”

Rolf Steiner has been running the Vogt Schild print shop for 23 years. SRF Up to 600 tonnes of paper

The federal government's order is Vogt-Schild's largest print job. Employees work on it for five weeks straight, operating around the clock in three shifts. At any given time, 15 staff members are dedicated to producing the voting booklets.

The scale of the operation depends on how many copies are needed and how thick the booklet is. Steiner illustrates this with paper consumption:“The February booklet requires 100 tonnes of paper. But if there are four proposals, each with detailed explanations, that figure can rise to 600 tonnes.”

Logistically, that amount of paper cannot be stored all at once.“It has to be delivered in stages - we simply wouldn't have space for that much paper at one time.”

Printing ballot papers – a science in itself

In addition to the voting booklet, Vogt-Schild also prints the ballot papers, a process Steiner describes as a science in itself.“It requires a lot of expertise and precision.”

One of the trickiest elements is the finger hollow cut – the semi-circular notch on the edge of the ballot paper that allows voters to easily separate and handle sheets.“That's a particularly complex step,” Steiner notes.

First, large sheets with 36 ballot papers are printed. Presented here by Roger Wolf, the long-standing production manager and trained printer. SRF
There are a few steps remaining before the ballot papers are ready to be sent out. SRF
The ballot papers have to be cut precisely. SRF
The punched-out semicircle falls off by itself during processing. SRF
First, large sheets with 36 ballot papers are printed. Presented here by Roger Wolf, the long-standing production manager and trained printer. SRF

To ensure the booklets arrive on time, the print shop reserves production slots for each vote well in advance. But this carries risks. If a scheduled vote is unexpectedly cancelled, the company is left with unused printing capacity and no compensation. Occasionally, there's simply less to print – like the February edition, which contains only one proposal.

From print shop to packaging centres

Each of the six million voting booklets is bound with two staples – adding up to a staggering 12 million staples in total. Once printed, the booklets are stacked onto 2,500 pallets and distributed to 67 locations across Switzerland.

At these centres – including workshops for people with disabilities – the booklets are packaged into envelopes alongside ballot papers and other voting materials before being sent to voters.

In the last nationwide vote, turnout was just 45%, meaning a significant portion of the booklets likely ended up in the bin. But Steiner isn't discouraged.“We're proud that, as a printing company, we can contribute to Swiss democracy.”

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