Participating In Swiss Politics; Consular Services For Americans Living In Basel; Cultural Events

You will often hear us discussing and reporting on Swiss politics here at The English Show. This week was no exception as a national and cantonal referendum will take place on the 25th of September 2022. If you are not a Swiss citizen or perhaps you are contemplating becoming one, you may have been wondering how participation in Swiss elections and referendums works. Once you are registered to vote in your commune (the smallest political until in Switzerland), you will be sent official voting materials and information to your registered address between three and four weeks prior to the vote. You can vote in-person at your local polling station, or by mail (even if you live abroad). At the moment, Switzerland does not offer electronic voting, although it is evaluating the design of electronic voting systems. Find out more at Switzerland's official voting information website.

Incidentally, if you happen to be an American living in Basel, you probably often find consular services difficult to procure - having to travel to Bern. Luckily, on 28 September 2022, the US Consulate in Switzerland will be sending a team to Basel for an afternoon/evening of consular services. You will need to pre-register at the website to attend and the following services are on offer: Passport Applications, Acceptance of Consular Report of Birth Abroad Applications, Notarial Services and Voting Assistance.

And on the cultural side of things, here are some recommendations for upcoming events:

Alabama Mike / Kid Andersen’s Greaseland All-Stars / Lisa Andersen at the Atlantis; I Wish my Life Were a Musical at the Kleinkunstbühne Rampe; Basel bands Moonpools & Don’t Kill The Beast at the Kaserne; the 'Of Crystal & Smoke' dance event at the Elisabethenkirche; traditional Alpine Descents in various locations around Switzerland (cows! bells! flowers!); a Day Dance with Radio X and the House of Electronic Arts; and, further ahead, Editors in Lausanne and Zurich in October.

Our music theme this week was all about new songs released in recent months. We played:

Phoenix - Tonight (feat. Ezra Koenig)

Muse - Kill Or Be Killed

Moonpools - Damaged Goods

Don't Kill The Beast - LSF

The Beths - Silence is Golden

Fazerdaze - Break

Lizki - It's Just A Dream

Sam Himself - Golden Days