Swiss Passport

Question 8 of 350 · Initiative and referendum

In votes, what does «majority of the cantons» (Ständemehr) mean?

Was bedeutet bei Abstimmungen «Ständemehr»?

Correct answer: B

  1. Amajority of all votesMehrheit aller Stimmen
  2. Bmajority of the cantonsMehrheit der Kantone
  3. Cmajority of votes by language region of SwitzerlandMehrheit der Stimmen nach Sprachregionen der Schweiz
  4. Dmajority in the preceding opinion pollsMehrheit in den vorausgegangenen Meinungsumfragen

Why

«Stände» is an old word for the cantons. The majority of the cantons (Ständemehr) is reached when the majority of cantons says yes.

Common mistakes

A: majority of all votes
The majority of all votes is called the majority of the people (Volksmehr), not the majority of the cantons (Ständemehr).
C: majority of votes by language region of Switzerland
Language regions play no role in popular votes. Votes and cantons are counted.

Topic

Majority of the people and majority of the cantons

In some popular votes it is not enough for more than half of the voters to say yes. A majority of the cantons is also needed. This is called the double majority: majority of the people and majority of the cantons.

Having a say: rights and obligations · Initiative and referendum

Sources

Official question of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.