Your Guide to the 2026 Vaud Municipal Elections. Part I

What you need to know before voting this spring

Local elections in Switzerland can take a bit of getting used to. The different councils, distinct voting systems, and several rounds across multiple dates. If you’re new to Vaud (or voting here for the first time), it’s easy to get lost in the details.

That’s why we asked Bob Jenefsky, longtime Nyon resident and all-round election explainer to walk us through what happens during the municipal election cycle.

In this series, Bob will explain everythig you need to know so you can feel confident when your voting envelope arrives. Below, Part I covers the essential dates, who can vote, and what to expect this spring 2026.

Local Elections

Sunday, March 8, 2026 marks the first round of the next local election cycle in the Canton of Vaud.  Swiss citizens and eligible non-Swiss residents will be asked to vote for their representatives to their city or village councils (Conseil communal or Conseil general) as well as the members of their communal executive (Conseil municipal, usually abbreviated Municipalité, including the mayor (syndic)). 

It’s a somewhat complicated process which can appear daunting to first-time voters (and even to more experienced voters, as some aspects of  the voting system occasionally change from one election to the next!).

Living in Nyon has asked me to break my description of the process down into bite-size chunks to prevent information overload, so please let me know if I’m succeeding as well as sending any specific to questions to me c/o “Living in Nyon”. Either pop them in the comments below or email them at livinginnyon@gmail.com

Key Dates

Sunday, March 8, 2026:

-Election of city/village councils (proportional vote)

-First round of election of city/village municipalités (majority vote)

Sunday, March 29, 2026

-Run-off election of city/village municipalités (majority vote)

Sunday, April 26, 2026

-First round of mayoral (syndic) election (majority vote)

Sunday, May 17, 2026

-Run-off mayoral (syndic) election (majority vote)

Voters receive their voting material about a week before each election and can return their completed ballots by mail or in person anytime up to the Sunday deadline (exact times vary by commune).

Who can vote?

-Swiss citizens over the age of 18 on the date of the election

-Non-Swiss citizens with “B” or “C” permits who have resided in Switzerland continuously for the past 10 years and in the Canton of Vaud continuously for the past 3 years.

If you’re eligible, you will automatically receive the voting material.  In case of doubt, contact your local city or village administration (greffe communal).

In the next article, we’ll discuss the details of the voting process. 

Bob Jenefsky