14 May 2019

In Italy, the next EU Parliament elections will take place on Sunday, May 26th. The election day falls on different dates across the EU, between the 23rd and 26th of May 2019: the first Member States will vote on May 23^rd (the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) but most EU countries opted for the 26th of May.

HOW TO VOTE

All 18 years-old EU citizens (almost 400 million people) have the right to vote. Only in Austria the voting age is 16. In Italy, citizens at the polling station will receive a voting card of a different color according to the electoral they belong to . For the EU elections Italy is divided into five constituencies: North-West, North-East, Centre, South and Insular Italy. Each voter will cast his vote by marking an “X” on the symbol of the chosen electoral roll or party. Voters can express up to three preferences by writing the name of the candidate belonging to the roll (the full list of candidates can be found outside the polling station). It is not allowed to cast a vote for a roll or party and, at the same time, writing the name of a candidate belonging to a different roll or party. Moreover, in giving two or three preferences, the principle of gender equality must be respected: it is not allowed to vote only for men or only for women.

ITALIAN CITIZENS ABROAD

Italian citizens living abroad in any EU Member State can choose whether to vote for the candidates of the country where they have their residence or for the Italian candidates, according to the terms specified on the website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Those who are living in another EU country only temporarily for study or work purposes can vote only for Italian candidates at electoral districts set up by embassies or consulates.

WHAT IS THE VOTE FOR

The vote aims at electing the 751 members of the European Parliament. The number of MEP for each of Member State is mostly established on basis of the population. Italy is the third country, along with the United Kingdom, for number of MEP (73), after Germany and France.

PARTICIPATION RATES        

Since the first elections by universal suffrage for the EU Parliament in 1979, the participation rate has been decreasing steadily: from 61.99% (when the European Union consisted of only 9 Member States) to 42.61% of the last elections in 2014 (28 Member States). In 2014 the average turnout was markedly different in each country. The highest turnout has been recorded in Belgium (89.64%) and in Luxembourg (85.55%) – where voting is compulsory, like in Greece and Cyprus – followed by Malta (74.08%). The lowest participation rate was registered in Slovakia (13.05%). As for big countries, Italy recorded a turnout rate of 57.22%, followed by Germany (48.01%) and France (42.23%).

For further information on electoral operations, the electoral process, voting abroad, the EU institutions’ campaign on the importance of voting and the achievements of the European Union, see the links aside.