Democratic voting comes in two basic forms: either at the ballot, where voters are separated from each other and voting secrecy is ensured, or in citizen assemblies, where all voters are present at the same time and the vote is public. In this paper we theorise which of the two, if any, is more apt to foster women’s participation, drawing on democratic theory and political behaviour studies. To assess the empirical validity of these claims, we then make use of an original survey among more than 800 citizens of a regional political community in Switzerland (Glarus) where both types of voting are practised. This yields unique comparative insights as the same persons were asked about their participation at the ballot as well as local and regional citizen assemblies. In addition, we shed light on the reasons that inhibit women from taking the floor and speak at citizen assemblies.
