Swiss Bliss or Swiss Miss? Rational Abstention or Irrational Irrelevance ?

      I spent last semester studying abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, so when we started talking about low voter turn-out rates in Switzerland, I immediately wanted to know more. I did think it was odd that during my time living in Geneva there was almost no mention of Swiss politics, with the favorite political conversation being about Donald Trump. I saw no political advertisements in newspapers or around the city and I left knowing no more about the political system than when I first arrived. Johnson tells us that “ the only country with a voting turnout lower than the United States is Switzerland." Only about 40% of people in Switzerland vote. 

      This article, while not refuting that fact, explains that “'selective voters'” constitute the bulk of the electorate, simply picking and choosing which votes to take part in” and thus showing that disinterest is not the sole determining factor, but it is rather disinterest in or ignorance of some issues. Per this article, Switzerland has seen a decrease over the years, but in contrast to the US, they are asked to vote three or more times per year. Another reason voter turnout is so low is attributed to the fact that the political parties are not as polarized and conflicting as they are here, and that the same “four main parties have held the seven cabinet seats for more than half a century under a power-sharing agreement.” It seems that even though in my opinion Switzerland is the ideal place to live, (a fact that is backed up by Forbes which places Switzerland as the 3rd happiest country), the lack of interest in voting is a problem that is being remedied by online voting. It remains to be seen whether or not this will make a difference and change things for the better. So in summary, the reasons the Swiss don't vote are perhaps the high frequency of being asked to vote, the consistency of their political system and a strong interest in some issues over others. I would ask, is it really that bad that people aren't voting? Rational abstention and rational ignorance about some issues are very real but clearly they are working for the country, so why are they seen as something that needs to be fixed?