(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Swiss voters have accepted an electronic proof of identity (e-ID), but there is a mistrust of the state. Political scientist Lukas Golder from gfs analyses the reasons for this. This content was published on September 28, 2025 - 18:24 5 minutes

I work as editor and correspondent at the Federal Palace. I report on Swiss politics for the Swiss Abroad and manage our political talk show Let's Talk. I started in local journalism in the early nineties and have worked in many journalistic fields, held management positions and covered a range of topics. I joined SWI swissinfo in 2017.

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• German Departme

• Deutsch de “Bei der E-ID entschieden viele kurzfristig aus dem Bauch” Original Read more:“Bei der E-ID entschieden viele kurzfristig aus dem Bauch
• Français fr ((Sur l'e-ID, beaucoup ont pris une décision instinctive à la dernière minute)) Read more: ((Sur l'e-ID, beaucoup ont pris une décision instinctive à la dernière minute)
• Italiano it “Sull'e-ID molti hanno deciso all'ultimo, seguendo l'istinto” Read more:“Sull'e-ID molti hanno deciso all'ultimo, seguendo l'istinto

At first the vote seemed to be a clear-cut yes, but then it turned into a nail-biter. What happened?

We saw a mobilisation effect in the countryside, which we've seen previously with the pesticide and drinking water initiative. Farming communities were very strongly activated and with them criticism of the authorities. The no vote came from this.

Political scientist Lukas Golder Courtesy image

Pollsters didn't see this coming. Was there a blind spot?

The mobilisation in this sector took place within a very short space of time. The fact that this segment of the electorate could be mobilised so quickly and to such an extent is astonishing. The driving force behind this was a heavily funded campaign by the Homeowners' Association with the support of the Farmers' Association. This mobilisation swept up the e-ID and put pressure on the result.

What did Sunday teach us about Switzerland's trust in its authorities?

When there's a fundamental lack of trust, this has an impact on such compromise proposals and especially on government solutions. In this respect, a fault line has emerged that has prevailed since Covid.

So we can see that the state is struggling with its solutions and that the fault lines from the Covid era still exist. If you activate people properly in this context, you can get them to the polls, even if the participation rate in this milieu is actually falling.

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