Cantonal referendum on "Procurement, development and operation of the Polycom wireless network"
The cantonal referendum on “Procurement, development and operation of the Polycom radio network” was a referendum in the Swiss canton of Lucerne that took place on November 29, 2009. The content of the vote was the introduction of a rescue radio, which causes costs of around 26.5 million in terms of procurement and construction.
Background and content
The radio network for the rescue service, which was active at the time of the referendum, was considered outdated and had to be renewed. This was already evident during the flood disaster in 2005. Other cantons relied on the Polycom radio system . In July 2009 it was:
- 11 cantons with Polycom in operation
- 11 cantons with Polycom under construction
- 4 cantons with Polycom in planning
With regard to the six neighboring cantons of Lucerne, there were two each that Polycom was in operation, under construction or planned. The decision to also rely on Polycom was therefore an imperative and was accepted by the Lucerne Cantonal Council with 95 to 0 votes. The costs for procurement and construction were calculated at CHF 41.5 million, which in detail include:
- 28 base stations
- 9 directional radio converter
- 1200 handheld radios
- 200 cell phones
- 150 fixed devices purchased
The federal government would contribute 15 million francs to the costs. The canton has the remaining 26.5 million francs for procurement and construction, as well as 1.4 million francs annually for operation. The referendum was used to vote on the approval of the special loan.
Voting result
The voter turnout was about 52% in all Lucerne offices . With 72.00%, the Office of Lucerne achieved the highest and the Office Willisau with 62.49% the lowest percentage of votes in favor. Thus, the votes were accepted by all five offices with a total of 69.25%.
Office | Voting participation | Yes (number) | No (number) | Yes (percent) | No (percent) | adoption |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Entlebuch | 52.79% | 4,526 | 2,275 | 66.55% | 33.45% | Yes |
Hochdorf | 51.47% | 14'426 | 6,459 | 69.07% | 30.93% | Yes |
Lucerne | 51.49% | 41,033 | 15,951 | 72.00% | 28.00% | Yes |
Sursee | 53.10% | 16,632 | 7,675 | 68.42% | 31.58% | Yes |
Willisau | 52.56% | 10,588 | 6,356 | 62.49% | 37.51% | Yes |
Total (5) | 52.01% | 87,205 | 38,716 | 69.25% | 30.75% | Yes |