In 2013, Letmevote ran a European Citizens Initiative collecting signatures in support of the idea that all EU citizens, who live within the EU, should be able to vote in all elections – local, regional, national and EU-elections – wherever in the EU they lived.
The aim of the campaign was to highlight the democratic disenfranchisement of 13.6 million EU citizens who (as of 2013) live in another EU country than the one they were born in.
Letmevote’s belief is that true European citizenship should give these EU citizens full voting rights, so they can actively participate in the society in which they live and which they contribute to socially, culturally and economically.
The ECI is a very new tool on EU level, and Letmevote was one of the first initiatives. Unfortunately, we did not hit the target of collecting 1 million signatures in a year – but we built a fanatastic network of volunteers and supporters in different European countries, who all are very dedicated to promote more active citizenship in the EU.
To conclude our first attempt at running an ECI, we contributed the following analysis to the ECI that Works publication, which has been published by the Initiative for the European Citizens’ Initiative
An ECI that Works – Chapter 11 – Letmevote – Author: Susanne Kendler
The official text of the ‘Let me vote’ initiative, as recorded on 1 April 2012 with the European Commission:
Object: To strengthen the rights listed in article 20§2 TFEU by granting EU citizens residing in another Member State the right to vote in all political elections in their country of residence, on the same conditions as the nationals of that State.
Main Objectives: The goal of the initiative is to develop the political dimension of the European project by reinforcing citizens’ awareness that they share a common destiny. It would have the following effects: – To enhance the concept of European Citizenship; – To facilitate freedom of movement within the EU; In addition, it could contribute to remedying the loss of voting rights presently experienced by a significant number of EU citizens who are long-term residents of other Member States.
Treaty Provisions: Article 25 TFEU, Article 20§2 TFEU
Signature Collection Period: 29 January 2013 – 28 January 2014