The "Double Yes

What is the "double yes"

The "double yes" was introduced in Liechtenstein in 1987. The procedural peculiarity of this voting procedure is that those entitled to vote are presented with several questions on the same ballot paper.

The "double yes" is used when several initiative petitions on the same subject are submitted at the same time, or when Parliament submits a counter-proposal to an initiative on its own initiative.

The voters are asked for each proposal whether they want to accept or reject it. Voters who agree to all proposals can also indicate which proposal they prefer.

The "double yes" thus gives voters the opportunity to express their ideas in a differentiated manner. They can agree to one bill and reject the other. But they can also support both bills or reject both. In addition, they can decide which draft they prefer, if they support both drafts.
 

Determination of the voting result

The absolute majority is determined separately for each proposal. Blank and invalid ballot papers shall be disregarded when determining the absolute majority. This also applies to individual questions that have not been answered.

If both proposals achieve the absolute majority of votes, the ballots with a multiple yes will only be attributed to the respective proposal to which they give preference in the additional question. Adopted is the proposal that, on the basis of this second count, has the majority of the votes.

Votes with multiple yeses that do not answer the supplementary question or do not answer it clearly will not be considered in any second count.
 

Why is there a "double yes" vote?

With the "double yes" increases the choice of voters. Until its introduction, the Parliament was able to use the means of the counter-proposal quite specifically against popular initiatives. This was because the "yes" votes were regularly split between the initiative text and the counter-proposal in such a way that no variant achieved an absolute majority. Due to the introduction of the "double yes", this effect of the counter-proposal, which tended to distort the will of the people and was unconstitutional in the opinion of the Constitutional Court, could be eliminated.

In Liechtenstein, the "double yes" was applied for the first time in March 2003, when the two initiative petitions for the amendment of the national constitution by H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein and H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein as well as by the initiative committee "Constitutional Peace" were voted on.