Swiss voters have backed plans for electronic identity cards by a wafer-thin margin, in the second nationwide vote on the issue. In a referendum on Sunday, 50.4% of voters supported an electronic ID card, while 49.6% were against, confounding pollsters who had forecast stronger support for the “yes” vote. More than 1.6 million people have signed a petition opposing e-ID cards, which would be mandatory for people working in the UK by 2029. The referendum was called after a coalition of rightwing and data-privacy parties collected more than 50,000 signatures against e-ID cards, triggering the vote. For more than two decades, Estonians have had e-ID cards, which are used to vote, digitally sign documents, access public services and shop online.

Source: The Guardian September 29, 2025 05:17 UTC