Accueil / Genève / «J’y vis, j’y vote» initiative — communal political rights for foreigners
Acceptée Genève Institutions et démocratie Migration et asile 24 avril 2005

«J’y vis, j’y vote» initiative — communal political rights for foreigners

On 24 April 2005, Geneva settled a question raised relentlessly since 1993: should foreign residents be allowed to vote in their municipality? In a canton where nearly 40 % of the population holds no Swiss passport, the democratic stakes were…

Oui — 52.29% Non — 47.7%
L'enjeu de l'époque

On 24 April 2005, Geneva settled a question raised relentlessly since 1993: should foreign residents be allowed to vote in their municipality? In a canton where nearly 40 % of the population holds no Swiss passport, the democratic stakes were considerable — tens of thousands pay taxes yet had no say at communal level.

Two twin constitutional initiatives went before the people. The «younger» asked only for the communal right to vote; the «elder», more ambitious, added eligibility — the right to stand as a candidate. Behind them stood a cross-party committee uniting Antonio Hodgers (Greens), Pierre Maudet (Radical), Sandrine Salerno (PS), Olivier Fiumelli (PLR) and Carmelo Laganà (PDC).

The ballot delivered a clean compromise: the right to vote passed (52.29 % Yes), but eligibility was refused (52.78 % No). Foreigners settled in Switzerland for at least eight years have voted in Geneva municipalities ever since — without being able to be elected. Geneva thus joined Neuchâtel, Jura, Vaud and Fribourg.

Methodological note: This card treats the vote factually and impartially. The verdicts bear solely on verifiable campaign arguments — those that can be checked against facts observed since the vote — and not on the ballot outcome itself.
▲ The Yes wins (right to vote)
• «Younger» initiative accepted with 52.29 %.
• Communal voting and signing rights for foreigners resident ≥ 8 years in Switzerland.
• Applied from the 2007 communal elections.
▼ The No wins (eligibility)
• «Elder» initiative (vote + eligibility) refused with 52.78 %.
• Eligibility — standing for the Municipal Council — remains reserved for Swiss citizens.
• The «J'y vis, j'y siège» debate resurfaced, without success, in 2015-2017.

Actors and figures

▲ Yes camp
• «J'y vis, j'y vote» committee (cross-party coalition)
• Antonio Hodgers (Greens)
• Pierre Maudet (Radical Party)
• Sandrine Salerno (PS)
• Olivier Fiumelli (PLR)
• Carmelo Laganà (PDC)
• CCSI (Swiss-Immigrant Contact Centre), trade unions
▼ No camp
• Geneva SVP/UDC opposed to both initiatives
• Conservative wing of the Liberal Party
• Sovereigntist circles attached to the vote–nationality link

Arguments and verdicts

▲ Arguments FOR (Yes camp)
«Those who live here and pay taxes here must be able to decide here»
« You cannot ask foreigners to integrate while denying them any part in the life of the city. »
Verdict: ✓~ Partly borne out. The right took effect and was exercised from 2007; foreign voters' turnout proved real but modest, and the integration effect remains hard to quantify.
Source: Tribune de Genève; ge.ch/votations.
«A right long tested elsewhere»
« Neuchâtel and Jura have granted this right for decades without the slightest institutional disruption. »
Verdict: ✓ Confirmed. No destabilisation of Geneva municipalities was observed after 2007; the pioneer cantons' experience held true.
Source: CCSI, 2005 annual report.
▼ Arguments AGAINST (No camp)
«Voting without citizenship devalues naturalisation»
« Why seek the Swiss passport if political rights come without it? »
Verdict: ✗~ Fear unverified. Naturalisation applications did not collapse in Geneva after 2005; no documented causal link.
Source: Cantonal naturalisation statistics.
«Risk of communal/ethnic voting»
« It opens the door to ethnic voting that will fragment our municipalities. »
Verdict: ✗ Disproven. No community rift or «ethnic voting» bloc emerged; foreign participation blended into ordinary political life.
Source: Post-2007 political-science analyses (UNIGE).

Factual assessment

Twenty years on, foreigners' communal voting rights have become part of Geneva's ordinary life, without the upheavals foretold. They have been exercised at every municipal election since 2007.

The point left open is eligibility: refused in 2005, it was the subject of further attempts («J'y vis, j'y siège») that failed. A foreigner may vote for the Geneva Municipal Council but still not sit on it.

✓
Voting right applied
Effective from the 2007 communal elections, with no institutional incident.
~
Measured turnout
Real but modest mobilisation of the foreign electorate.
!
Eligibility still closed
Standing as a candidate remains reserved for passport holders.
Note — Geneva already counted nearly 40 % foreign residents in 2005: rarely has the gap between the electorate and the resident population been so striking.
Analyse éditoriale
Conclusion

The 2005 double vote captures a canton advancing by careful steps. Geneva says yes to participation, no to full power-sharing: the foreign resident becomes a voter, not an elected official. That compromise has held for twenty years.

The No camp's fears — devalued naturalisation, ethnic voting — did not materialise. Conversely, the promise of integration strengthened by the ballot proved real but hard to measure.

The blind spot remains: twenty years later, eligibility is still closed. Geneva stays halfway, between boldness and caution.