Maybe somewhere near a train station, with a ballpoint pen on a shaky standing table – quick, anonymous, no ID required.
That’s exactly the problem.
Because while you may have genuinely signed, address lists were being copied nearby, birthdates were made up – and in some cases, entire signatures were simply fabricated. In some places, it’s even said a printer signed instead of a person.
The case that triggered it all? The so-called “Service Citoyen” initiative.
There, it was discovered that over 21,000 signatures were allegedly forged. A signature collection company that got paid per signature apparently cared more about quotas than about integrity.
The result: criminal charges, investigations, and a loss of trust.
And the worst part? It’s not the first case. And probably not the last.
The Illusion of the People's Will
What looks like democratic participation is often just a numbers game on paper.
As sincere as many may be – the system itself is open to abuse.
Because it relies on paper forms, handwritten signatures, and visual inspection.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: our so-called “direct democracy” is being defended with pencils and Excel spreadsheets – in the year 2025.
What does that tell us?
That our good old direct democracy has a paper problem. And a trust problem on top of that.
With Infinity-Economics, that wouldn’t have happened:
You sign digitally – with an identity that belongs only to you (SSI)
No authority, no third party can fake it
Everything goes on the blockchain: anonymous, yet verifiable
And if a collector is to be paid? Then only for real signatures – automatically, via smart contract.
What If … Infinity-Economics?
Now imagine the whole process ran on Infinity-Economics:
- Every eligible citizen owns a digital identity – created and managed through SSI (Self-Sovereign Identity). More on that in ieStory 25062.
No central registry, no state control – but verifiably real. - Signatures aren't made with ballpoint pens but through a tamper-proof process on the blockchain.
Unique, anonymous, traceable – and publicly verifiable. - Collectors are paid fairly. But only for valid signatures.
That’s handled by a smart contract, automatically.
Those who fake it get nothing. Those who play fair earn fair.
That means:
No more hamsters on signature lists.
No dead aunts doing their civic duty.
No companies turning democracy into a flat-rate business.
Why This Matters
Direct democracy lives on trust. But trust needs control – and that’s exactly what the current system lacks.
That’s why it’s high time to talk about alternatives.
Not someday. Now.
Infinity-Economics offers the technology for it.
And with a bit of political courage – the implementation, too.
Bottom line – or put differently:
If your vote counts, but your signature isn’t even verified,
you don’t need more paper.
You need Infinity-Economics.
Sources:
SRF: Possible fraud in over a dozen initiatives
Tagesschau: Bought democracy in Switzerland?