Give out-of-town citizens the opportunity to vote in the municipality where they live for national and European elections and referendums. This is what the petition launched online on change.org proposes to ask for the right to vote in the municipalities of residence for workers away from home (https://chng.it/x56Mwvswyb). Promoting it is Simone Carozzo, technical manager of the laboratories of the Sant’Anna institute in Crotone. Carozzo is Ligurian and lives in La Spezia so he cannot vote unless he returns to his city of residence. A similar situation for millions of Italians across the Peninsula.
“In recent years – we read in the text of the petition – we have witnessed a worrying decline in voter turnout. The phenomenon of the “party of abstentionists” has become increasingly relevant, representing a multiplicity of voices: from those who no longer recognize the importance of politics, to those disappointed by the current parties, up to those who, living far from their municipality of residence, do not they can vote. This last group is made up of thousands of citizens who, for reasons of study, work or other needs, find themselves living in municipalities other than their place of residence”.
A situation which, linked to the disaffection for active participation, causes a very high abstention from voting. Carozzo explains that “the economic incentives currently provided to encourage the return to the municipalities of origin are often insufficient, failing to cover the high costs of the journey. Furthermore, many of these citizens are forced to take days off to exercise a fundamental right/duty, making the process even more onerous and complicated.”
For this reason, “allowing out-of-town citizens to vote in the municipality where they live would represent an important step to combat the decline in voter turnout. Greater electoral participation would not only strengthen our democracy, but also ensure a more fair and complete representation of the popular will.”
Just as was done in this election round for off-site students, Carozzo’s proposal is to extend the possibility of voting to off-site workers as well. For this reason we ask “that a public debate be launched on this issue and that the possibility of introducing measures be considered that allow citizens away from home to vote more easily, without having to necessarily travel to the municipality of residence. This reform could include solutions such as postal voting, electronic voting or the possibility of voting at temporary polling stations in the municipality of residence.”
