False ballot papers for state council elections in the canton of Solothurn
Published: Wednesday, Nov 1st 2023, 09:50
Updated At: Thursday, Nov 2nd 2023, 00:54
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For the second round of elections to the Council of States, five Solothurn municipalities have received sporadic false ballots. Because the cantonal authorities assume a deliberate act, legal steps are being considered, as the State Chancellery announced on Wednesday.
In total, 37 lists of the National Council elections and 3 ballots of the first round of the Council of States elections were found in the election material for November 19, as of Wednesday, writes the State Chancellery. Initial investigations suggested a deliberate act.
The incorrect ballot papers were identified at an early stage and the correct forwarding of the ballot papers to the eligible voters was ensured. The 107 municipalities in Solothurn were informed and advised to take special care when packing to send only the correct ballot papers. Anyone who nevertheless receives incorrect documents is asked to contact the municipality or the State Chancellery.
Already in the run-up to the vote on the central prison on October 22, which took place together with the parliamentary elections, about 190 wrong ballots had appeared, as the state chancellery writes. With two exceptions, these could have been sorted out in time by the municipalities.
Targeted manipulation "hardly conceivable"
Whereas previously an oversight was in the foreground, now a pattern and thus intent must be assumed, writes the State Chancellery. However, a deliberate manipulation in the sense of electoral fraud is hardly conceivable for both ballots: Obviously neither the template nor a candidate was favored or disadvantaged.
Canton authorities suspect "a form of untargeted troublemaking by an outside contractor" and are considering legal action.
©Keystone/SDA
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