I have discovered that I have no voice.
We tried to vote in the Canadian elections, but we've been out of the country for more than 5 years, and weren't allowed to. An archane rule from pre-internet days. Most likely, if I am going to make the effort to go to my embassy/consulate TWICE to vote, I have some idea of what's going on.
I received a letter a year or two ago asking me if I wanted to renounce my (nonexistent) right to vote in the UK so I could vote in Spain. I said yes.
Spain has said no.
I will have to look into it for the federal level, as possibly maybe I might be able to vote.
Today was municipal elections. I have a NIE (registered number for foreigners allowed to work), I am registered both nationally (some bit of paper) and locally (empadronat), I have a job, a house, a mortgage, I pay my freaking taxes, I have two kids in the local school, and they said I couldn't vote.
I should have filled in a FORM TWO MONTHS before election day. For you Americans out there? They have TWO WEEKS of electioneering. I however have to ask to vote before every. single. election .
Two months in advance.
I was really very (surprisingly) angry.
I felt most unwelcome. Honestly. Unwelcome.
You'll take my money, but not my opinion.
Then I went down to Plaça Catalunya. Shoulda set up my own tent.
2 comments:
Ack. Such archaic rules for a supposedly democratic process. I have not answers on the Canadian election side. I am just grateful for the results as they turned out - not my FIRST intention of how I would like it to be but at the very least the "official" opposition is no longer a party with the intent to break up the country but worse no viable ideas on how to govern in any way shape or form. Politics! Politics! Politics! Always a touchy subject but as I can see so very frustrating from your angle. I do agree that if you are paying into the economy through taxes etc. that your voice should be counted.
Actually, in the UK you have to register or at least confirm your resgistration each autumn. If you move after that time you can get a postal vote for the area you lived in when you registered. Oddly both of the kids were regisered by their univeristy accommodations while I had confirmed them for home so they could have voted twice! (They didn't)
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