Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 28 October 1857. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council, winning 80 of the 120 seats.[1]
The 120 members of the National Council were elected in 49 single- and multi-member constituencies; there was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population.[2] 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.[2] In six cantons (Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri), National Council members were elected by the Landsgemeinde.
Compulsory voting was introduced in the Canton of Schaffhausen for the elections, with the canton seeing the highest turnout at 86.4% compared to the 46.5% figure nationally.
| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich 1 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Zürich 3 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Bern 5 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Bern 6 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 4 | |||
| Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Bern 9 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Bern 10 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Josef Martin Knüsel | ||
| Radical Left | 1 | Josef Bucher | ||||
| Lucerne 12 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Lucerne 13 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Uri 14 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Florian Lusser | ||
| Schwyz 15 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Obwalden 16 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Wirz | ||
| Nidwalden 17 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Melchior Joller | ||
| Glarus 18 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 2 | |||
| Zug 19 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Konrad Bossard | ||
| Fribourg 20 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | J. F. L. Engelhard | ||||
| Fribourg 21 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Solothurn 22 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Bünzli | ||||
| Basel-Stadt 23 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Jakob Stehlin | ||
| Basel-Landschaft 24 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Schaffhausen 25 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 26 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Konrad Oertli | ||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Adolf Friedrich Zürcher | ||||
| Appenzell Innerhoden 27 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Anton Fässler | ||
| St. Gallen 28 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| St. Gallen 29 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| St. Gallen 30 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| St. Gallen 31 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Joseph Müller | ||
| Radical Left | 1 | Johann Matthias Hungerbühler | ||||
| Grisons 32 | 1 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Johann Andreas Sprecher | ||
| Grisons 33 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Andreas Rudolf von Planta | ||
| Grisons 34 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Georg Michel | ||
| Grisons 35 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Caspar de Latour | ||
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | |||
| Radical Left | 1 | Friedrich Frey-Herosé | ||||
| Aargau 37 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 2 | |||||
| Aargau 38 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Wilhelm Karl Baldinger | ||||
| Thurgau 39 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Baptist von Streng | ||||
| Ticino 40 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Ticino 41 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Vaud 42 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Democratic Left | 1 | Constant Fornerod | ||||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Édouard Dapples | ||||
| Vaud 43 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Jean-Louis Demiéville | ||||
| Vaud 44 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Charles Bontems | ||||
| Valais 45 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alexis Allet | ||
| Valais 46 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Adrien de Courten | ||
| Valais 47 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Neuchâtel 48 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Geneva 49 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Philippe Camperio | ||||
| Source: Gruner[3] | ||||||