# 1878 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 27 October 1878. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council.

## Electoral system

The 135 members of the National Council were elected in 48 single- and multi-member constituencies using a three-round system. Candidates had to receive a majority in the first or second round to be elected; if it went to a third round, only a plurality was required. Voters could cast as many votes as there were seats in their constituency. There was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population.

## Results
### National Council

Voter turnout was highest in Schaffhausen (where voting was compulsory) at 95.1% and lowest in Schwyz at 26.7%.
| | Radical Left | | 34.8 | 57 | –6 |
| | Catholic Right | | 26.3 | 37 | +4 |
| | Liberal Centre | | 23.2 | 26 | +6 |
| | Democratic Group | | 9.4 | 10 | –5 |
| | Evangelical Right | | 5.1 | 5 | +3 |
| | Socialists | | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independents | | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | | | 135 | 0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 360,542 | – | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 634,080 | 56.86 | | |
| Source: BFS (seats) ||||||

#### By constituency

| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members |
| Zürich 1 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 5 | Melchior Römer Johann Jakob Widmer Alfred Escher Johannes Ryf Johann Kaspar Baumann |
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Johann Jakob Hasler Heinrich Landis |
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Democratic Group | 1 | Johann Jakob Keller |
| Zürich 3 | 3 | Democratic Group | 3 | Friedrich Salomon Vögelin Johannes Stössel Salomon Bleuler |
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Democratic Group | 3 | Johannes Moser Friedrich Scheuchzer Johann Jakob Scherer |
| Bern 5 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Jakob Scherz Carl Samuel Zyro Friedrich Seiler Johannes Ritschard Wilhelm Teuscher |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Rudolf Rohr Rudolf Brunner Friedrich von Werdt |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Otto von Büren |
| Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Karl Schenk Gottfried Joost Gottlieb Riem Karl Karrer |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Johann Bützberger Alexander Bucher Rudolf Leuenberger Albert Friedrich Born |
| Bern 9 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Johannes Schlup Jakob Stämpfli Charles Kuhn |
| Bern 10 | 5 | Radical Left | 3 | Hippolyte Paulet Niklaus Kaiser Auguste-Adolphe Klaye |
| Bern 10 | 5 | Evangelical Right | 2 | Abraham Boivin Albert Morel |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Josef Martin Knüsel |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Josef Vonmatt |
| Lucerne 12 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Räber |
| Lucerne 13 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Josef Erni Vinzenz Fischer |
| Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Philipp Anton von Segesser Franz Xaver Beck |
| Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Arnold |
| Schwyz 16 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Ambros Eberle Fridolin Holdener |
| Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Nicolaus Hermann |
| Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Robert Durrer |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Niklaus Tschudi |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Esajas Zweifel |
| Zug 20 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Niklaus Moos |
| Fribourg 21 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Louis de Weck Laurent Chaney Arthur Techtermann |
| Fribourg 22 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Joseph Jaquet Louis Grand Louis de Wuilleret |
| Solothurn 23 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Simon Kaiser Leo Weber Hermann Dietler |
| Solothurn 23 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Bernhard Hammer |
| Basel-Stadt 24 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Karl Burckhardt-Iselin |
| Basel-Stadt 24 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Rudolf Geigy-Merian |
| Basel-Landschaft 25 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Jakob Bernhard Graf Gédéon Thommen Emil Frey |
| Schaffhausen 26 | 2 | Democratic Group | 1 | Wilhelm Joos |
| Schaffhausen 26 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Robert Grieshaber |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 27 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Fässler |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 27 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Daniel Hofstetter |
| Appenzell Innerhoden 28 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Broger |
| St. Gallen 29 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Arnold Otto Aepli Thomas Thoma |
| St. Gallen 29 | 4 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Gebhard Lutz |
| St. Gallen 29 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Carl von Gonzenbach |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Rudolf Hilty |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Wilhelm Good |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Baptist Gaudy |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Johann Fridolin Müller Johann Joseph Keel |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Rudolf Moser |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Hermann J. von Sprecher |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Gaudenz von Salis |
| Grisons 33 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Anton Steinhauser |
| Grisons 33 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann R. von Toggenburg |
| Grisons 34 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Andreas Rudolf von Planta |
| Aargau 35 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Carl Feer-Herzog Johann Haberstich |
| Aargau 35 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Arnold Künzli |
| Aargau 36 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Peter Suter Robert Straub Hans Riniker |
| Aargau 36 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Rohr |
| Aargau 37 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Karl von Schmid Emil Albert Baldinger |
| Aargau 37 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Emil Welti |
| Thurgau 38 | 5 | Democratic Group | 3 | Severin Stoffel Jakob Albert Scherb Fridolin Anderwert |
| Thurgau 38 | 5 | Radical Left | 1 | Friedrich Heinrich Häberlin |
| Thurgau 38 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Messmer |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Massimiliano Magatti Bernardino Lurati Erennio Spinelli |
| Ticino 40 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Michele Pedrazzini Carlo Vonmentlen Agostino Gatti |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Charles Boiceau Aymon de Gingins |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Louis Ruchonnet Antoine Vessaz |
| Vaud 42 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Paul Wulliémoz Georges-Louis Contesse Paul André Frédéric Criblet |
| Vaud 43 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Louis-Henri Delarageaz Charles Baud Théodore du Plessis |
| Valais 44 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Hans Anton von Roten Victor de Chastonay |
| Valais 45 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Ferdinand de Montheys |
| Valais 46 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Charles de Werra Fidèle Joris |
| Neuchâtel 47 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Jules Philippin Louis-Alexandre Martin Arnold Grosjean Charles-Alfred Petitpierre Louis Constant Lambelet |
| Geneva 48 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 4 | Arthur Chenevière Gustave-Jules Pictet François-Isaac Mayor Carl Vogt |
| Source: Gruner ||||||

### Council of States

| Party | Party | Seats | +/– |
| | Catholic Right | 17 | +1 |
| | Radical Left | 11 | 0 |
| | Liberal Centre | 11 | +2 |
| | Democratic Left | 2 | –2 |
| | Evangelical Right | 0 | 0 |
| | Independents | 2 | –1 |
| Vacant | Vacant | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 44 | 0 |
| Source: The Federal Assembly ||||