For the information of all fellow citizens living in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the Italian Embassy in Bern recalls that, on the occasion of the elections for the renewal of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate of the Republic scheduled for 25 September 2022, Italian citizens living abroad will vote by post for the lists and the candidates of the Overseas Constituency (Circoscrizione estero). This means that voters will receive the electoral package at the address of residence they previously notified to their reference consular office. Indeed, it should be remembered that the Consulate must be informed of every change of residence.
The electoral packages will be sent out in mid-September 2022 and it will be possible to vote using the pre-paid envelope enclosed in the package to send the envelope containing the vote back to one’s consular office at no cost. The vote will be considered valid if it is received by Thursday 21 September.
The electoral package cannot be delivered if the voter has not notified their change of address in advance, above all for those who did not already receive the electoral package during the last referendum. Should the package fail to arrive, the voter may request a duplicate in order to vote and at the same time notify their correct address of residence.
In any case, an accurate address of residence is necessary not only in order to exercise the right to vote but also for all consular services, starting with the issuing of passports and electronic identity cards. To register with the AIRE (for those who have moved to Switzerland) or to notify a change of address, the online programme Fast-It is used as a rule: a digital platform created by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale) where, after registering, it is possible to declare any change of address conveniently and securely, while at the same time checking the data held by the consular office.
Finally, all voters are reminded that, under article 48 of the Italian Constitution, the vote is personal and equal, free and secret. In this regard the law lays down precise obligations on the voter: the obligation to keep personally the electoral material sent by the Embassy or by the Consulate; the absolute prohibition on handing the electoral material over to third parties. The breach of certain electoral provisions entails the sanctions laid down by art. 18 of Law 459/2001, which provides: “1. Whoever commits abroad any of the offences provided for by the consolidated text of the laws containing rules for the election of the Chamber of Deputies, referred to in the decree of the President of the Republic of 30 March 1957, no. 361, and subsequent amendments, shall be punished according to Italian law. The sanctions provided for in article 100 of the aforementioned consolidated text shall be deemed doubled in the case of postal voting.
2. Whoever, on the occasion of the elections of the Chambers and of referendums, votes both by post and at the polling station of their last registration in Italy, or votes more than once by post, shall be punished with imprisonment from one to three years and with a fine of between 52 euros and 258 euros”.
In order to stay constantly up to date, it is advisable to follow the websites of the Italian Embassy and of one’s reference Consulate as well as the social
channels of the Embassy: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram. It should also be noted that the Embassy and some consular offices have continued or reactivated the newsletter with which they inform fellow citizens registered in the records with their email address about the most relevant news.
Below are the consular districts to which requests for registration or change of address should be sent:
- Cantons of Bern, Neuchâtel and Fribourg: Italian Embassy in Bern;
- Cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn, Jura and Aargau: Consulate of Basel
- Cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Valais: Consulate General of Geneva
- Canton of Ticino: Consulate General of Lugano
- Cantons of Glarus, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, Obwalden/Nidwalden, Schwyz, Uri, Zug, Zurich, Appenzell Innerrhoden/Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Graubünden and Liechtenstein: Consulate General of Zurich
