Millions already printed Confederation admits error in voting booklet - this passage is incorrect
Shortly before the vote on the Civilian Service Act, the Federal Council has to admit an error: the voting booklet contains incorrect information on the question of when civilians have to carry out their long deployment.
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- The Federal Council has discovered and corrected an error in the explanatory notes on the civilian service referendum.
- This affects the deadline for the so-called long deployment, which all civilian service members must complete.
- The vote will take place on June 14, 2026.
Just under six weeks before the referendum on the new Civilian Service Act, the Federal Council has to correct an error in the official voting booklet. In the explanatory notes, an important deadline for those performing civilian service is incorrect.
As the national government announced on Tuesday, the Federal Office for Civilian Service (ZIVI) discovered the incorrect information. It concerns the question of when those performing alternative civilian service must complete their so-called "long deployment".
Error in the question: Who has to deploy when?
The section "Rapid deployment after admission" incorrectly states that all applicants must complete their long deployment in the year after admission - regardless of whether they submit their application before or during recruit school.
However, this is not true: the shorter deadline only applies to those who submit their application during recruit school. Those who submit their application before recruit school have until the end of the third year after admission, as before.
The electronic version of the explanatory notes has already been corrected, but the printed voting documents remain unchanged.
On June 14, the Swiss will vote on the amendment to the Civilian Service Act. The bill is intended to make it more difficult to switch from the army to civilian service. The SVP, FDP and Center Party support the project. The SP, Greens, GLP, EVP and the civilian service association Civiva oppose it.
The Federal Council reckons that the number of civilians could fall by around 40 percent with the new rules. Opponents warn of bottlenecks in care, education and environmental protection. Supporters say the reform is necessary to ensure that the army and civil defense have enough personnel.