Election procedure

Why are extraordinary elections being held?
The current term of office of the Board of Trustees of the Swiss Life Collective BVG Foundation runs until 30 June 2029. Due to personnel changes within employee representation, the available substitute members have already been exhausted. To ensure continuity in employee representation, extraordinary elections will therefore be held to fill the number of substitute members.

Who can vote?
The employee representatives of the Administrative Boards of the Vorsorgewerks affiliated to the Swiss Life Collective BVG Foundation are eligible to vote. 

Who conducts the elections on behalf of the Board of Trustees?
The Board of Trustees has commissioned Swiss Life Ltd, as manager, with organising and holding the extraordinary elections.

Has the supervisory authority responsible for the Foundation been informed of the new elections?
Yes. The Foundation’s supervisory authority, the BVG and foundation supervisory authority Ticino, Eastern Switzerland and Zurich (ATIOZ), is aware of the current election regulations. The elections are held on the basis of these regulations.

When will the elections take place?
The employee representatives of the Administrative Boards will be informed in writing of the extraordinary elections.
Candidates can be submitted using the nomination form on the election page. To take part in the elections, registration on the POLYAS election portal is required. Registration and nomination of candidates is possible until 9 October 2026 at the latest.
The secret ballot will be held electronically. Registered voters will be informed of the next steps once the candidacy phase has been completed.
The (electronic) election is expected to take place from 21 October to 18 November 2026, 12 noon, followed by a counting of votes.

What are the duties of the Board of Trustees?
In accordance with the legal and regulatory provisions, the Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall management of the Foundation, ensures compliance with statutory duties, determines the strategic objectives and principles of the Foundation and the means for achieving them. It defines the organisation of the Foundation, ensures its financial stability and supervises the Management Board. In this context, it is responsible for the following duties:

• Monitoring the Foundation’s transactions conducted by Swiss Life on its behalf and in accordance with its instructions
• Approving the Foundation’s annual financial statements
• Determining the statutory auditors and pension actuary

What outlay can I expect as a member of the Board of Trustees?
The activities include in particular:

• One ordinary meeting of the Board of Trustees per year, usually in Zurich
• One further meeting of the Board of Trustees per year by video conference (if required)
• If necessary: Resolutions by correspondence (by e-mail)
• Two-day basic training (free of charge)
• One full-day Board of Trustees event per year
• Voluntary, half-day training (annual)

Is the Board of Trustees’ mandate remunerated?
Yes, the Board of Trustees’ mandate is remunerated on a time basis. The members of the Board of Trustees receive an annual salary statement for their tax return.

Why are candidates sought?
As the available substitute members of employee representative have been exhausted, new substitute members are being sought. Interested people are invited to stand for election as substitute member of the employee representative.

Who is eligible for election to the Board of Trustees?
The basis for the elections, and thus the requirements for election, is the corresponding election regulations. Only people who are professionally active (no pensioners) and have a good reputation and provide assurance of proper management are eligible to be elected member or substitute member of the Board of Trustees. Employees insured with the foundation who have an unlimited contract of employment with the employer affiliated with the foundation under a non-terminated contract and who work in Switzerland are eligible to be elected as employee representatives with the foundation. Employees with the role of employer representative in the employee benefits unit’s Administrative Board are not eligible to be elected. It is generally advantageous if the candidates have a good command of German (language of correspondence and meetings will be German).

What do I have to apply for?
Candidates can be put forward online using the nomination form on the election page.
In addition to the personal details, a brief motivation for the candidacy must be submitted. In addition, a current extract from the register of criminal convictions and a current extract from the debt collection register must be submitted. Both documents must not be more than three months old.
If necessary, the Foundation may request further documents or information to check the election requirements.

Until when can applications be submitted?
Candidates can be submitted by 9 October 2026 at the latest using the nomination form on the election page. 

Why is only one candidate per employee benefits unit possible?
The restriction is intended to ensure appropriate representation of the affiliated employee benefits units and to prevent individual companies from being disproportionately represented.

How many votes can I give?
People entitled to vote may vote for a maximum of as many candidates as there are seats to be filled. The electoral system automatically indicates if the permitted number is exceeded.

Why do I need to register?
Participation in the election will take place via POLYAS’ election platform. Registration in the voters’ register is a prerequisite for taking part in the extraordinary elections.

Why is the election conducted electronically?
Electronic elections have proven their worth in the Board of Trustees elections. They enable the electoral process to be conducted efficiently, securely and in a user-friendly manner.

Do I need special Internet skills?
No. The electronic ballot is user-friendly and can be carried out in just a few steps.

How will voters be identified? 
Personal login data is used for secure identification. This ensures that only authorised persons can take part in the election.

Is software installation required for the election?
No. You can choose directly via a web browser. There is no need to install any additional software.

Can I still cast my vote after the election period has expired?
No. After the election period has elapsed, it is no longer possible to vote.

How is the anonymity of voting ensured?
The voters’ register and the electronic ballot box are technically separate. As a result, it is not possible to allocate votes to single individuals.

Does Swiss Life guarantee that my company’s contract data etc. will not be passed on to external parties?
With the exception of your Swiss Life contract number – which serves a pure allocation function during the election – no company data is transmitted.

How are the personal data from the application form and personal extracts from the criminal convictions and debt collection registers used, who has access to them and for how long are they kept?
The personal data collected in the candidacy form and extracts from the criminal records and debt collection registers are used to check the election requirements of the respective candidates. If a candidate is eligible for election, specific data from it is used for publication on the election page (first name, last name, year of birth, place of residence, company (employee benefits unit), occupation and personal motivation). To hold the election, personal data such as first name, last name, year of birth and company (employee benefits unit) are passed on to our external partner POLYAS for inclusion on the ballot paper.

Only those people within Swiss Life’s foundation management responsible for holding the election have access to extended candidate data and extracts from the criminal records and debt collection registers. They will be deleted by 31 December 2026 at the latest once the elections have been held. In all other respects, the provisions of the privacy policy apply, which together with supplementary explanations and information as well as contact details for further questions on the subject of data protection and data security at Swiss Life Ltd apply at www.swisslife.ch/privacy-contract.

What is the role of substitute members?
Substitute members are replaced if an elected member of employee representative resigns from the Board of Trustees during the current term of office.
The order depends on the result of the election.

POLYAS Schweiz GmbH, based in St. Gallen, has been supporting Swiss Life in holding electronic elections for many years.

The e-voting solution used enables elections to be conducted securely, transparently and efficiently over the internet. Strict requirements in terms of data protection, information security and voting confidentiality are met.