Swiss E-Voting Pilot Fails to Count 2,048 Ballots Due to USB Key Decryption Issues

A Swiss canton, Basel-Stadt, has suspended its electronic voting pilot after encountering a failure to decrypt 2,048 ballots from national referendums held on March 8, 2026. The issue arose when three USB keys, all with the correct code, failed to function, prompting the canton to advise affected voters to submit paper ballots instead. This incident affects 10,300 locals living abroad and 30 individuals with disabilities who participated in the e-voting pilot. The votes in question accounted for less than 4% of the total votes cast in Basel-Stadt and would not alter the overall results. An external analysis has been commissioned, and the canton has expressed regret over the violation of voters' rights. Confirmation of voting figures has been delayed until March 21, and the e-voting pilot is suspended until the end of December 2026. The Swiss Federal Chancellery confirmed that e-voting systems in three other cantons and the national Swiss Post e-voting system were unaffected. This pilot aimed to facilitate voting for citizens abroad, following a previous e-voting attempt that was abandoned in 2019 due to security flaws.

Key Points: • 2,048 ballots were not counted due to USB key decryption failures in a Swiss e-voting pilot. • The incident affects voters living abroad and those with disabilities, comprising less than 4% of total votes. • The e-voting pilot is suspended until December 2026, with an external analysis underway.