# 1863 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 25 October 1863. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council, but lost its majority for the first time since 1848.

## Electoral system

The 128 members of the National Council were elected in 47 single- and multi-member constituencies; there was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population. As a result of the 1860 census, the number of seats was increased by eight following the previous elections in 1860, although the number of constituencies was reduced from 49; the extra seats were given to Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Geneva, Graubünden, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud and Valais. The elections were held 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. In six cantons (Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri), National Council members were elected by the Landsgemeinde.

## Results
### National Council

Voter turnout was highest in the Canton of Schaffhausen (where voting was compulsory) at 88.2% and lowest in the Canton of Zürich at 18.6%.
| | Radical Left | | 44.1 | 59 | –5 |
| | Liberal Centre | | 23.8 | 37 | 0 |
| | Catholic Right | | 19.0 | 21 | +6 |
| | Democratic Left | | 6.7 | 6 | +5 |
| | Evangelical Right | | 4.6 | 5 | +2 |
| | Independents | | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | | | 128 | +8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 259,398 | – | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 556,738 | 46.59 | | |
| Source: BFS ||||||

#### By constituency

| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members |
| Zürich 1 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Alfred Escher Jakob Dubs Georg Joseph Sidler |
| Zürich 1 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Paul Carl Eduard Ziegler |
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Heinrich Honegger Johann Jakob Widmer Johann Heinrich Fierz |
| Zürich 3 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Eduard Suter Heinrich Grunholzer Rudolf Wäffler |
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Rudolf Benz Ulrich Meister Sr. Johann Jakob Bucher |
| Bern 5 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Jakob Scherz Friedrich Seiler Karl Engemann Johann Jakob Karlen |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 2 | Christoph Albert Kurz Eduard Blösch |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Jakob Stämpfli Karl W. von Graffenried |
| Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Karl Karrer Samuel Lehmann Johann Ulrich Gfeller Ludwig Wyss |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Jakob Steiner Johann Rudolf Vogel Johann Bützberger Johann Weber |
| Bern 9 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Niklaus Niggeler Johann Rudolf Schneider |
| Bern 9 | 3 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Peter von Känel |
| Bern 10 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Paul Migy Édouard Carlin Cyprien Revel Xavier Stockmar |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Josef Martin Knüsel |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Wilhelm Schindler |
| Lucerne 12 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Philipp Anton von Segesser Vinzenz Fischer |
| Lucerne 13 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Anton Hunkeler Hans Theiler Anton Wapf |
| Uri 14 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alexander Muheim |
| Schwyz 15 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Karl Styger Karl Benziger |
| Obwalden 16 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Wirz |
| Nidwalden 17 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Alois Wyrsch |
| Glarus 18 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Joachim Heer Peter Jenny |
| Zug 19 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Wolfgang Henggeler |
| Fribourg 20 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Alfred Vonderweid Samuel Presset Laurent Chaney |
| Fribourg 21 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Louis de Wuilleret Pierre-Théodule Fracheboud |
| Solothurn 22 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Simon Kaiser Benedikt von Arx |
| Solothurn 22 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Bünzli |
| Basel-Stadt 23 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Jakob Stehlin |
| Basel-Stadt 23 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Wilhelm Klein |
| Basel-Landschaft 24 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Jakob Graf Jakob Joseph Adam Stephan Gutzwiller |
| Schaffhausen 25 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Friedrich Peyer im Hof |
| Schaffhausen 25 | 2 | Democratic Left | 1 | Wilhelm Joos |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 26 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Johannes Roth Adolf Friedrich Zürcher |
| Appenzell Innerhoden 27 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Baptist Dähler |
| St. Gallen 28 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Johann Baptist Weder Joseph Marzell Hoffmann Wilhelm Matthias Naeff |
| St. Gallen 29 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Josef Leonhard Bernold Paravizin Hilty |
| St. Gallen 29 | 3 | Democratic Left | 1 | Basil Ferdinand Curti |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Carl Georg Jakob Sailer Johann M. Hungerbühler |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Democratic Left | 1 | Georg Friedrich Anderegg |
| Grisons 31 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Gaudenz von Salis |
| Grisons 31 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Simeon Bavier |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Alois de Latour |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann R. von Toggenburg |
| Grisons 33 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Andreas Rudolf von Planta |
| Aargau 34 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Friedrich Frey-Herosé Adolf Fischer Carl Feer-Herzog |
| Aargau 35 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Johann Rudolf Ringier Gottlieb Jäger |
| Aargau 35 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Johann Peter Bruggisser Augustin Keller |
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Wilhelm Karl Baldinger Peter Acklin |
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Franz Waller |
| Thurgau 37 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Johann Messmer Johann Joachim Lüthi |
| Thurgau 37 | 5 | Catholic Right | 1 | Augustin Ramsperger |
| Thurgau 37 | 5 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Ludwig Sulzberger |
| Thurgau 37 | 5 | Democratic Left | 1 | Fridolin Anderwert |
| Ticino 38 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Antonio Bossi Costantino Bernasconi Carlo Battaglini |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Giovanni Battista Pioda Giovanni Jauch |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Michele Pedrazzini |
| Vaud 40 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Constant Fornerod François Corboz |
| Vaud 40 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Édouard Dapples |
| Vaud 40 | 4 | Democratic Left | 1 | Jules Eytel |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Jean-Louis Demiéville Charles Bontems |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Victor Ruffy Abram-Daniel Meystre |
| Vaud 42 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Louis-Henri Delarageaz Jean-Louis Ancrenaz |
| Vaud 42 | 3 | Democratic Left | 1 | John Berney |
| Valais 43 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Alexis Allet Adrien de Courten |
| Valais 44 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Charles de Rivaz |
| Valais 45 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | Maurice-Antoine Cretton Louis Barman |
| Neuchâtel 46 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Alexis-Marie Piaget Jules Philippin Ami Girard Louis Grandpierre |
| Geneva 47 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Alexis-Marie Piaget Jules Philippin Ami Girard Louis Grandpierre |
| Source: Gruner ||||||

### Council of States

| Party | Party | Seats | +/– |
| | Catholic Right | 17 | +4 |
| | Liberal Centre | 13 | 0 |
| | Radical Left | 9 | –4 |
| | Evangelical Right | 1 | 0 |
| | Democratic Left | 0 | 0 |
| | Independents | 4 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 44 | 0 |
| Source: Federal Assembly ||||