Facts
The case concerns an appeal against the conduct of the popular vote on the "Deportation Initiative" of November 28, 2010. The appellant, Thomas Laube, requested that the vote be provisionally postponed or declared invalid, as in his opinion the eligible voters had been insufficiently and incorrectly informed.
The Federal Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, insofar as it entered into the matter. It stated that the legally prescribed legal remedy for asserting deficiencies in the conduct of a federal referendum - an appeal to the cantonal government and an appeal against this decision to the Federal Supreme Court - must be observed in any case, even if requests are made or facts are challenged that go beyond the jurisdiction of the cantonal government.
Considerations
The Federal Supreme Court stated that according to the legal regulations, appeals concerning popular votes are not assessed as a first instance, but only against decrees of the Federal Chancellery and against decisions of cantonal governments. A direct appeal to the Federal Supreme Court is therefore excluded.
However, the Federal Supreme…