Re: Swiss elections and referenda - New Federal Councilor(s) election 7 December

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

the lowest support being in Appenzell Innerrhoden at 50,8% - this being the canton that only gave women the vote in 1990, so it's still quite a big change in mindset.

This is a CVP stronghold right? Very religious?

It is the only canton in the country that is less than 10% irreligious, so yep, and was also very isolated until very recently.

That said, as you can sort of see on the map - it isn't actually the most conservative place in the country. The Simmental in Bern voted no and is much more populous that AI - like four times the population. It's just that AI is minuscule and lacks that counterweight of the rest of the canton that the Simmental does. In that respect AI is sort of a perfect gerrymander of a very conservative canton (even if not technically a gerrymander at all - it has existed for hundreds of years and exists for very definite historical reason)

Why is Simmental so conservative?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Good result.

Better late than never.

Why is Genf (Geneva) only 65% for gay marriage ?

Only 1% more than Switzerland as a whole ?

Conservative immigrants who got naturalized voting against ?

I suppose that is a possibility. Parochialboy would know better, though.