Volt suggests alternative ways of voting to ensure the participation of Portuguese voters at the 2024 European elections
European citizens will choose their new MEPs on 6-9 June 2024 but on this date historically many Portuguese don’t vote. Volt proposes solutions.
It’s official. EU diplomats signed off on the election dates for the European Elections: voters will head to the polls between 6 and 9 June 2024. This decision, however, could potentially cause high abstentionism in Portugal as 10 June is a public holiday and data shows that in past elections this has caused a lower participation.
In April, Volt requested the Portuguese Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and the Secretary of State for European Affairs to be included in the negotiations on the date of the 2024 European elections between the government and various political parties. Volt’s request also included solutions to combat abstentionism if the date of June 9 was confirmed.
The co-President of Volt in Portugal, Duarte Costa, regretted the non-response of government members to Volt's request and stressed "that all parties should be treated equally in electoral proceedings, regardless of whether they already have a national or European parliamentary seat". Ana Carvalho, co-President of the party, echoed that "as a European party, Volt is already represented in the European Parliament through our MEP Damian Boeselager, elected by Germany and member of the Greens/European Free Alliance political family. Throughout Europe, including Portugal, Volt sees the 2024 elections as the most important for its current political agenda".
The solutions sent to the Government in April to combat abstentionism linked to the possible displacement of voters on that Sunday, June 9 2024, include remote electronic voting, early and mobile voting and the possibility to vote several weeks before 9 June, as already happens in several European countries, such as Germany.
Volt Portugal believes that these measures can help fight abstentionism and increase civic participation in all elections, and is committed to be able to contribute to the democratic success of the European elections 2024, a key moment where Europeans in Portugal are called upon to pronounce on the directions they wish for the European Union.