Voting at home for people in isolation Covid, the “right to expiration”. Urns at risk for those who tested positive after September 15

The right to vote at home expires. In fact, no. In fact, it depends on the municipality. This is the situation in which Italian citizens found themselves a few days before the elections. Why last September 15 It was the last date by which, according to the provisions of Decree Law 103 of August 14, 2020, citizens subjected to home treatment, quarantine or in fiduciary isolation for Covid-19, could have ask to cast your vote at home. To do this, specifically, it was necessary to send the mayor of the municipality a statement certifying the desire to vote at home and a certificate “issued by the doctor appointed by the competent bodies of the local health company.” A right to expire not only for those who (not necessarily by choice) had not respected the deadline despite knowing that they could take advantage of the possibility, but also for those who, despite themselves, found the result of a positive swab in their hands or they had to isolate themselves only after that date. And who, therefore, had not sent anything, convinced that he could cast his vote in the usual way. A right to expire which can mean a lot in terms of gradesEspecially in small towns, where you can win even with a handful of preferences. the interior ministerin fact, he tried to find a solution to the mess, but not all citizens will benefit from it.

ALL IN THE HANDS OF MAYORS – Because, with the will to guarantee the dright to vote to as many people as possible, Viminale He left the auditors the right to accept the request until the last useful moment. Except in a small town the last useful moment, perhaps, can also half 24 hours after voting, bigger is more Complicated. From the minister they explain that they tried not interpose obstacles exercise the right, but there is organizational requirements which must be respected and which prevent registration at the last minute. It should also be noted that 24 hours before the elections assigned seats must be communicated. In fact, administrations that, for various reasons, had the possibility, continued to guarantee the right to vote (which in reality should be guaranteed by the Constitution), while citizens residing in other they were not so lucky. Among other things, in many cases it is not clear how long it will be possible to express one’s preference in this way. The only certainty is the fact, on the other hand, that so far few Italians have asked for a vote at home. Less than a thousand questions arose 37,289 people in home isolation (as of September 15), to which those in quarantine would be added. Tuscany, among the seven regions where people vote, has the highest number of questions: about 400. Less than a hundred in the Marches.

THE CASE OF TUSCANY – And it is no coincidence that the Tuscany Region has published a press release to inform those who have found themselves in this unpleasant situation: “Pending clarification from the Ministry of the Interior, citizens in home isolation due to Covid who want to exercise the right to vote they can request the Asl certificate that certifies this state also these days and therefore beyond the deadline of September 15 initially scheduled. “Those who intend to vote and cannot go to the voting table due to being isolated, must connect to the Asl Tse website, where they can complete the online form to request the certificate that will be presented to the Municipality for vote at home Once received, the citizen must send the ASL certificate to the electoral office of the municipality in whose electoral lists he is registered.

A PROBLEM OF RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY – But the rather modest number of requests is probably also related to some objective difficulties encountered by voters. The Deputy Secretary of + Europe, Costanza Hermanin, denounced in the last hours some problems in the home voting system found in Lazio, also based on the testimony of a student from the political school of the ‘PrimeDonne’ party, emblematic of the confusion that has come up to create the possibility to resubmit the request after September 15th. Sara Immé, a 31-year-old Sicilian living in Rome, entered into fiduciary isolation on the 16th, because he had close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19. “They told me to apply anyway – he told AdnKronos – and I got no response. Besides me, there are 10 lonely people in my office who will not be able to vote. I feel that a fundamental right has been stolen from us, especially in constitutional matters ”. And that also arises a problem of democracy The Ministry of the Interior knows this very well, as shown in a circular sent to all the prefects of Italy and signed by Claudio Sgaraglia, head of the department of internal and territorial affairs of the ministry. Circular with which, given the scant response from voting from home, an attempt is made to sensitize mayors by inviting them to contemplate “the measures that are considered most appropriate to better protect the elderly or the most fragile voters”, also evaluating “the measures that allow it facilitated her access to the voting table, “writes the department head. Because these elections, despite the decrees and circulars, they are likely to represent a vulnus in the first place for democracy.