Swiss Internet Voting Unravelled: A New Analysis of the Macro-Level Determinants of Internet Voting Usage

Countries around the world have shown interest in online balloting. However, extant evidence suggests that not all types of citizens are equally interested in remote voting over the Internet. Internet voting is typically implemented as a complement to traditional forms of (paper) voting, rather than as a replacement; and prior studies suggest that Internet voting tends to predominantly attract certain segments of voters– in particular, younger and more highly educated voters. In this paper, we extend the focus from such individual-level determinants of Internet voting usage to macro-level factors, including the way Internet voting is rolled out to citizens and the treatment of Internet voting in public media. Empirically, we focus on extended i-voting trials in two Swiss cantons, Geneva and Neuchatel. Key findings include that i-voting usage is strongly determined by whether voters automatically receive access to online voting or have to pre-register for online ballots; however, this difference becomes smaller over time. Furthermore, we find evidence to suggest that interruptions in the availability of online voting reduce its usage. Finally, we find some evidence that media coverage highlighting possible threats to electoral integrity undermine the usage of Internet voting.