Eastern Switzerland St. Gallen to ban commercial signature collection

A proposal from the St. Gallen cantonal council calls for a ban on the commercial collection of signatures. According to the motion from the SP, Greens and GLP, this is a matter of credibility and equal opportunities.

The subject of the motion is the various organizations that offer the commercial collection of signatures for initiatives and referendums in Switzerland. According to the motion, media reports have brought criminal activities to light.

Some companies collected signatures without an official mandate and then gave political committees the "extortionate choice" of buying these signatures. There are also suspicions that thousands of signatures with real personal details were forged.

The question arises as to whether the commercial collection of signatures is compatible with the fundamental values of direct democracy. Equal opportunities must be maintained, write Daniel Bosshard (Greens), Cécile Casado-Schneider (SP) and Andreas Bisig (GLP).

A ban would ensure that initiatives and referendums are based on the commitment and persuasiveness of citizens.

The three members of the Cantonal Council are calling on the government to prohibit the commercial collection of signatures "as part of a contract or through a paid employment relationship". The motion will be dealt with in one of the upcoming sessions.

SDA