In three years, Graubünden residents will be able to vote with the click of a mouse
In three years, voters in Graubünden will be able to cast their ballots and vote online. On Monday, the Grand Council laid the groundwork for this by amending the law on political rights.
The revision of the law passed the cantonal parliament by 98 votes to 3. The bill was largely undisputed, apart from a few critical votes that raised safety concerns.
The operating costs for the third voting channel are estimated at CHF 600,000 per year. The acquisition costs for the e-voting system have not yet been determined.
The introduction of the electronic voting channel is planned in two phases. A pilot phase with six municipalities is to start in 2020 and the expansion to other municipalities is planned from 2021. The municipalities should be able to decide autonomously whether and to what extent (with or without municipal ballots) they want to introduce e-voting.
New way of financing tourism
Furthermore, from the middle of the year, the municipalities in Graubünden are to be given the opportunity to break new ground in tourism financing. They will be able to replace the traditional guest tax or visitor's tax with an accommodation tax. The Grand Council unanimously approved the mini-reform of the law on municipal and church taxes on Monday.
In concrete terms, this means that the tax no longer depends on the number of overnight stays by guests, but is calculated based on the number of rooms (hotels) or the square meters of net living space (vacation properties). The subject is the accommodation provider and the vacation home owner and no longer the guest.
The taxation of guests based on the number of overnight stays was judged by the cantonal government to be outdated and hardly verifiable. The municipalities can expect slightly more revenue overall because loopholes have been closed, as Finance Director Barbara Janom told the Council. (SDA)
