AfterVote.ch is an observatory of Swiss democracy that tests the campaign arguments of federal and cantonal votes against the facts observed in the years that follow. Every page follows the same method.
Three principles
Independence and neutrality. AfterVote has no party affiliation. The verdicts concern the campaign arguments, not the outcome of the vote. We never say whether a vote should have been accepted or rejected — we check what was claimed.
Strict verifiability. We only treat verifiable arguments — those that can be tested against facts observed since the vote. Purely counterfactual predictions (“what would have happened without the measure”) are set aside by design: by their very nature they can neither be confirmed nor refuted.
Cited sources. Every verdict is backed by one or more public sources (FSO, FDFA, SNB, ECtHR, Parliament, etc.) explicitly referenced beneath the argument. Every factual claim must be traceable to its source.
The four verdicts
- ✓ Argument confirmed — the facts fully bear out the argument.
- ✓~ Partly confirmed — the argument is confirmed in essence, refuted on some aspects.
- ✗~ Partly refuted — the argument is refuted in essence, confirmed on some aspects.
- ✗ Argument refuted — the facts contradict the argument.
Structure of a page
Every page follows the same structure: context, actors and figures, arguments FOR and AGAINST with verdicts, sourced factual assessment, editorial analysis. This structure is deliberately identical from one page to the next to facilitate comparison and reading.
Accepted vs rejected initiative
What is “testable” depends on the outcome:
- For a rejected initiative, we observe the world without the measure: the predictions made by both camps about its consequences can be tested.
- For an accepted initiative, the measure is in force: we assess whether it has delivered on its broader promises, and whether the consequences feared by opponents have materialised.
Updates
Pages are updated when new facts warrant it. If you spot an error, a missing source or a forgotten argument, write to us via the Contact page.