Day One of the Swiss Briefing Tour
June 10, 2010
By Johanna Herman
The first day of the Swiss Tour of Democracy has ended. Although it was less than half a day worth of time, there were enough meetings and talks to fill an entire day. First the group met the Vice Mayor of the city of Bülach who talked about the government of the city, how initiative and referendums work and a little of the history of the city itself. We then had an informal outside gathering where we shared some Swiss snacks and conversation. Then the group headed over to IRI Europe headquarters where we heard about the local election being held this weekend, the two issues residents in Bülach will vote on and also about the new system of Electronic Voting. Lots of questions were asked by the different group members, all of which will find their way into our ongoing coverage of the tour on Ballotpedia.
While it was interesting to hear that everyone had a different view, everyone had the same goal of coming to Switzerland to better understand their system and how it works and perhaps better ways in which the process is used in the States.
