Five lessons from Swiss voters’ acceptance of e-ID

On Sunday 50.4% of Swiss voters backed the introduction of an electronic proof of identity (e-ID). Certain conclusions can be drawn from this vote, and prospects for the future can be outlined. Here is Swissinfo’s analysis. 1) Conservative voters almost sank the e-ID project The very narrow yes to eID is the result of a collateral effect. It was the voters mobilised by Sunday’s other issue – the abolition of rental value – who influenced the result: the promise of lower taxes drove voters in conservative rural cantons to the polls. These regions are home to many homeowners who would benefit directly from a change in the system. But these voters operate differently from the progressive, technophile urban Switzerland. They are older and have expressed a more pronounced distrust: of the authorities on the one hand, but also of a new digital tool proposed by the state to be installed on their phones. Thus voters motivated by the abolition of rental value overwhelmingly rejected the e-ID.