I lived in Switzerland when the vote to join the EU came back negative. Most urbanites, journalists and intellectuals said it was a tragedy and that Switzerland would be left behind due to retrograde rural people.
The thing was, projections were that every farm above a certain altitude would become non-viable and, much like the US, the rural population holds disproportionate power.
The Swiss were long the best exporters of unemployment in the world. They lost some of that ability due to changes that created a defined path to permanent residency status, but it's not something the Swiss want to give up easily.
QuoteThe EU has circulated a fact sheet suggesting that a lack of common rules could cause Switzerland to lose its "privileged" connection with the bloc's electricity system
From my experience, especially in mountain towns, I think a large portion of Swiss people would be fine with sitting in the dark from time to time if it meant keeping their independence.