NGOs from the "Youth Vote" project are requesting the government to reduce the deadline for obtaining a temporary residence permit before the elections
The NGOs from the "Youth Vote" project have sent an open letter requesting the Romanian Government to reduce the deadline for obtaining a temporary residence permit to 45 days before the election date.
The Agora Center was founded by Alexandru Manda, an advisor to the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja (PNL).
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"The decision to merge the elections, combined with the current legislative framework for obtaining a temporary residence permit to vote in the residence locality, makes it impossible for young people to obtain the permit at the moment, given that the merger of the elections was announced less than 6 months before the local elections", announces the Agora Center for Democracy in a press release.
According to current legislation, the temporary residence permit must be obtained six months before the election date, although the merger of the elections was announced less than six months before the polling day, so citizens in this situation can no longer obtain the necessary document:
"Specifically, to safeguard the voting rights of young people in Romania across all election categories this year, the organizations endorsing the initiative have called for a revision of Article 18, paragraph (1) of Law no. 115/2015 governing the election of local public administration authorities. They propose reverting to the provisions in effect prior to the alterations introduced by Law no. 256/2023, so that establishing residence in the electoral constituency by obtaining a temporary residence permit can be possible until at least 45 days before the election date", the young people state.
Those most affected by this situation are young people studying or working in another city, those who have changed their residence, but not their ID address, and young people who have moved to other cities.
Young people also complain that the chosen date for merging the elections, June 9, coincides with the exam session at most universities in Romania.
Thus, for many young voters, it will not be possible to return to their hometown to vote, say the NGOs, who also discuss the low voter turnout among young people.
According to the Permanent Electoral Authority, there are 4,594,321 voters aged between 18 and 35 (youth) on the electoral rolls in Romania, say the initiators of the initiative. In the last parliamentary elections held in December 2020, only 25.46% of young people voted, the press release also states.
"The concerning aspect of the low voter turnout among young people is accentuated by the fact that in 2024, our country will witness a comprehensive array of elections: European, local, parliamentary and presidential – a unique occurrence in the last 20 years. The repercussions of the 2024 elections will affect entire generations, and the present youth will be the ones to bear the impact of decisions made this year. In the absence of legislative measures enabling young individuals to participate in all types of elections, their inclination to vote will diminish, posing a threat to the credibility of the electoral process and undermining the trust of young people in the government and political parties", the press release further states.
