Too much systematic exclusion
One of the eye-openers during the intervention by and discussion with PD Dr. Dorothée de Nève–political scientist and author of the 2009 book “Nonvoters – a danger for democracy?“–was the fact that large parts of the residents of European countries are systematically excluded from voting and participating in our democracies.
Photo by Sebastian Wieschowski | youthmedia.eu
The largest group among the excluded are often migrants and young people.
To give you some quick numbers that will surely impress you as much as they impressed us at the seminar — here are some countries and the percentages of each country’s residents not entitled to vote:
- 24.8 % Sweden
- 24.9 % Great Britain
- 25.2 % Denmark
- 25.4 % Netherlands
- 25.6 % Germany
- 26.9 % Belgium
- 33.3 % France
- 35.1 % Switzerland
That’s between a quarter and the third of the people.