# 1881 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 30 October 1881. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council, regaining the majority they had lost in 1863.

## Electoral system

The 145 members of the National Council were elected in 49 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.
The elections were held under the new Federal law concerning the elections of National Council members passed on 3 May 1881. The number of seats was increased from 135 to 145 following the 1880 census, and the number of constituencies from 48 to 49; Bern and Zürich both gained two seats, whilst Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Stadt, Geneva, Schwyz, Ticino and Vaud all gained one.

## Results
### National Council

Voter turnout was highest in Schaffhausen (where voting was compulsory) at 95.2% and lowest in Schwyz at 28.3%.
| | Radical Left | | 39.8 | 75 | +18 |
| | Catholic Right | | 24.6 | 35 | –2 |
| | Liberal Centre | | 20.4 | 22 | –4 |
| | Democratic Group | | 7.7 | 10 | 0 |
| | Evangelical Right | | 6.1 | 3 | –2 |
| | Independents | | 1.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | | | 145 | +10 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 395,400 | – | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 637,224 | 62.05 | | |
| Source: BFS (seats) ||||||

#### By constituency

| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members |
| Zürich 1 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 5 | Wilhelm Hertenstein Melchior Römer Alfred Escher Johannes Ryf Johann Kaspar Baumann |
| Zürich 2 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Heinrich Landis Jakob Brennwald Johann Heinrich Bühler |
| Zürich 2 | 4 | Democratic Group | 1 | Johann Jakob Keller |
| Zürich 3 | 4 | Democratic Group | 4 | Johannes Stössel Friedrich Salomon Vögelin Salomon Bleuler Ludwig Forrer |
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Democratic Group | 3 | Johannes Moser Friedrich Scheuchzer Johann Jakob Sulzer |
| Bern 5 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Friedrich Seiler Carl Samuel Zyro Johann Zürcher Jakob Scherz Johannes Ritschard |
| Bern 6 | 5 | Radical Left | 3 | Johann Jakob Hauser Rudolf Brunner Rudolf Rohr |
| Bern 6 | 5 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Otto von Büren |
| Bern 6 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Jules Schnyder |
| Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Karl Schenk Gottlieb Riem Karl Karrer Gottlieb Berger |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Johann Friedrich Gugelmann Johann Bützberger Andreas Schmid Rudolf Leuenberger |
| Bern 9 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Johannes Schlup Charles Kuhn Rudolf Niggeler Bendicht Tschannen |
| Bern 10 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Niklaus Kaiser Ernest Francillon Joseph Stockmar Auguste-Adolphe Klaye Henri Cuenat |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | Josef Vonmatt Friedrich Wüest |
| Lucerne 12 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Zemp |
| Lucerne 13 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Josef Erni Candid Hochstrasser |
| Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Philipp Anton von Segesser Franz Xaver Beck |
| Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Arnold |
| Schwyz 16 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Ambros Eberle Fridolin Holdener Vital Schwander Sr. |
| Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Nicolaus Hermann |
| Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Robert Durrer |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Esajas Zweifel |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Niklaus Tschudi |
| Zug 20 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Niklaus Moos |
| Fribourg 21 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | Eduard Huber Louis-Auguste Marmier |
| Fribourg 22 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Laurent Chaney Louis de Wuilleret |
| Fribourg 23 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Louis Grand Joseph Jaquet |
| Solothurn 24 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Oskar Munzinger Simon Kaiser Albert Brosi |
| Solothurn 24 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Bernhard Hammer |
| Basel-Stadt 25 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Karl Burckhardt-Iselin Wilhelm Klein |
| Basel-Stadt 25 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Rudolf Geigy-Merian |
| Basel-Landschaft 26 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Jakob Bernhard Graf Emil Frey Gédéon Thommen |
| Schaffhausen 27 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | Wilhelm Joos Robert Grieshaber |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 28 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Daniel Hofstetter Johann Ulrich Schiess |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 28 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Conrad Sonderegger |
| Appenzell Innerhoden 29 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Karl Justin Sonderegger |
| St. Gallen 30 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Thomas Thoma Arnold Otto Aepli |
| St. Gallen 30 | 4 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Gebhard Lutz |
| St. Gallen 30 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Carl von Gonzenbach |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Rudolf Hilty |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Wilhelm Good |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Democratic Group | 1 | Carl Theodor Curti |
| St. Gallen 32 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Johann Fridolin Müller Johann Joseph Keel |
| St. Gallen 32 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Rudolf Moser |
| Grisons 33 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Simeon Bavier |
| Grisons 33 | 2 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Hermann J. von Sprecher |
| Grisons 34 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Caspar Decurtins Johann Schmid |
| Grisons 35 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Andrea Bezzola |
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Arnold Künzli Ludwig Karrer Erwin Kurz |
| Aargau 37 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Hans Riniker Robert Straub |
| Aargau 37 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Johann Rohr Anton Bruggisser |
| Aargau 38 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Emil Albert Baldinger Karl von Schmid |
| Aargau 38 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Emil Welti |
| Thurgau 39 | 5 | Radical Left | 3 | Johann Philipp Heitz Friedrich Heinrich Häberlin Gustav Merkle |
| Thurgau 39 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Jakob Huldreich Bachmann |
| Thurgau 39 | 5 | Democratic Group | 1 | Adolf Deucher |
| Ticino 40 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | Carlo Battaglini Costantino Bernasconi |
| Ticino 41 | 5 | Catholic Right | 5 | Martino Pedrazzini Carlo Vonmentlen Ignazio Polar Giovanni Dazzoni Agostino Gatti |
| Vaud 42 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Louis Ruchonnet Jules Brun Louis Mayor David Joly Antoine Vessaz |
| Vaud 43 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Paul Wulliémoz Georges-Louis Contesse Adolphe Jordan Frédéric Criblet |
| Vaud 44 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Henri Oguey Charles Baud Jules Colomb |
| Valais 45 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Victor de Chastonay Hans Anton von Roten |
| Valais 46 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Maurice Evéquoz |
| Valais 47 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Charles de Werra Fidèle Joris |
| Neuchâtel 48 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Numa Droz Jules Philippin Auguste Albert Leuba Charles-Émile Tissot Henri Morel |
| Geneva 49 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Antoine Carteret Georges Favon Pierre Moriaud Moïse Vautier |
| Geneva 49 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Arthur Chenevière |
| Source: Gruner ||||||

### Council of States

| Party | Party | Seats | +/– |
| | Catholic Right | 18 | +1 |
| | Radical Left | 17 | +6 |
| | Liberal Centre | 4 | –7 |
| | Democratic Left | 3 | +1 |
| | Evangelical Right | 1 | +1 |
| | Independents | 1 | –1 |
| Total | Total | 44 | 0 |
| Source: The Federal Assembly ||||