No higher voter turnout after information from “Citizens’ Council”
Published: Thursday, Feb 29th 2024, 14:10
العودة إلى البث المباشر
If voters drawn at random inform their fellow citizens, they are better informed about the proposed vote. However, this does not increase voter turnout, as a study by the Center for Democracy Aarau (ZDA) found.
A "citizens' council" of 21 people in Aargau dealt intensively with the cantonal climate protection initiative, which was put to the vote on June 18, 2023. The ZDA announced on Thursday that experts and supporters and opponents of the proposal were consulted - and there was discussion and constructive debate.
Arguments in simple language
Finally, a four-page flyer was approved containing what the Citizens' Council considers to be the eight most important pieces of information on the initiative. The flyer, written in simple language, was sent to the voters of Aarau and Safenwil together with the usual voting documents.
Only 37% of respondents in Aarau and Safenwil stated that they had seen the flyer. Those who had used the flyer had gained a better understanding of the content of the referendum proposal.
No higher voter turnout
Compared to Baden and Muhen, where no flyers were sent out, the voters in Aarau and Safenwil felt better informed, according to the survey. However, a higher voter turnout was not achieved in either municipality.
In order to form the Citizens' Council, 3,000 voters were drawn by lot and contacted, as the ZDA writes. Participants with different ages, education and political views were then selected from all regions of the canton.
https://demoscan.ch/de/aargau/
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