The proportion of people with an immigrant background is high in Switzerland (35%, 23% of foreign nationality) and more particularly in Geneva (60%, 40% of foreign nationality)
The Canton of Geneva has given the right to vote for foreigners residing in Switzerland for 8 years, who can now play an active part in the political life of the canton. Of the 313,000 voters concerned by the communal elections in Geneva on April 19, 2015, there are 84,000 foreigners (27%). The participation rate of foreigners in the election is lower than that of Swiss citizens: 27.7% vs. 41.5% in the first round of municipal elections of April 2015 in the canton of Geneva.
In this context, the Office for the Integration of Foreigners (BIE) of the Canton of Geneva mandated the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies (SFM) of the University of Neuchâtel, to conduct a study on the participation of foreigners in elections.
