UA pencil passes from hand to hand among the Festival’s competitors: why? Gazzelle and Rose Villain started, in a curious and almost embarrassed scene. But Sanremo and FantaSanremo fans are seeing a lot of things these evenings, so they initially dismissed the move as yet another ploy to score points. However, this was also repeated by Maninni, the French Saints, Diodato, Nek and Renga, Dargen D’Amico and Emma. Many graphite passages, too many?
But what was the intent? Together with the 20 points earned in the game, which is now cleared on the Ariston stage, the singers have I also won a bonus for a good cause. As the account explained FantaSanremo on X, the pencil symbolizes the copying pencil, tool that has always been used for express their right to vote.
The appeal to pass a law
«Take the pencil too and have your say in the European elections on 8 and 9 June” we read in the appeal of the post. The invitation is not just to go to the polls, but to support a law that allows out-of-towners to vote: we are currently the only country in Europe that does not offer this possibility apart from Cyprus and Malta.
The initiative is part of the countryside #useyouregg to stimulate the participation of young people in the European elections and is promoted by the Office of the European Parliament and by the Representation in Italy of the EU Commission, in collaboration with FantaSanremo.
Those out of office are young people between 18 and 35 years old
The there are around 5 million out-of-town votersand at the moment the bill that would allow them to vote remotely has been stuck in the Senate since 2022. Lombardy, just on 7 February, unanimously approved a motion in their favour: a first step to urge the government to pass a national law which allows those who cannot leave their home for reasons of health, work, study or economic difficulties to cast their vote even in a municipality other than that of residence.
Second the non-profit organization The Good Lobby, which is collecting signatures in support of the “I vote out of office” petition for the real right of citizens to mobility, people who “are systematically prevented from exercising the right to vote” are especially young people between 18 and 35 years old who move for study reasons or in search of their first job. Many of them come from the southern regions.
“Certain categories of workers, such as those belonging to the military, police forces, firefighters and sailors, can actually already vote outside their municipality of residence, but only on the occasion of political elections and referendums” explain the organizers. “All other voters and other female voters have the right only to some discounts on travel costs supported but are limited to long-distance trains or national airline flights which have very high basic prices”.
Countries where remote voting is already allowed
However, the problem of costs, we read in the petition, is not the only one and will deny millions of people the possibility of voting in the European elections in June 2024.”The remote voting system has been guaranteed for years in Switzerland, Spain and Ireland, where it is possible to vote by post; in France and Belgium you can delegate the vote to another person; in Denmark you can vote in advance, at a special polling station set up for the occasion in the place where you are domiciled; while in Germany Both postal voting and voting at another polling station are permitted Netherlands there is the possibility of delegating or voting in another polling station”.
To sign the petition, just go to Out-of-office voting site: there are just over 53,200 signatures, we need to reach 70,000.
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED