Migration and direct democracy: the case of referendums in Switzerland

In the last decades, migration has been a hot topic at the national, cantonal, and municipal levels in Switzerland (among other countries) and several referendums obtained sufficient consensus in imposing restrictions on migration or banning certain cultural representations (such as ban on minarets of mosques). This study investigates the spatial-temporal dimension of voting patterns in the Swiss system on different types of referendums related to migration, and observes their relationship with linguistic, socioeconomic, and local characteristics in a multilevel temporal spatial model. Particular attention is dedicated to voting pattern’s variations related to the three Swiss instruments of direct democracy: mandatory referendums, optional referendums, and popular initiatives. The results highlight the existence of significant differences among Swiss municipalities in their voting patterns on referendums related to migration and indicate that these differences are associated with inequalities in local economic welfare, education, age, language, and political ideologies. Moreover, differences in voting behaviour are observed in relationship with the three different instruments of direct democracy, and these differences vary depending on the local socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Overall, this study suggests that the availability and exploitation of different instruments of direct democracy allows giving more voice to more and different people.