By Italy country expert Guido Tintori (editor of Il voto degli altri. Rappresentanza e scelte elettorali degli italiani all’estero [The Vote of Others. Political Representation and Electoral Participation of the Italians abroad], 2012)
Italian Erasmus students are currently mobilising on the web and at Italian consulates throughout Europe against Italy’s law on external voting (Act no. 459 of 27 December 2001) and its regulations (Decree n. 104 of 2 April 2003), since they are practically disenfranchised.
According to the Law, in order to exercise their electoral rights, external Italian citizens must register with the Registry of the Italians abroad (AIRE) at the Consulate in the country where they have resided or are going to reside for at least 12 months, by December 31 of the year before the elections are held. They must also provide a proof of permanent residence.
The electoral regulations are therefore quite adverse to Italian citizens temporarily residing or travelling abroad and extremely favourable for the many descendants of Italian emigrants who got their citizenship by descent abroad and often lack a “genuine and effective link” to their ancestors’ country. The latter, in fact, are automatically enrolled in the electoral lists and registered with the AIRE, as soon as they obtain their citizenship by descent at Italian consulates abroad (see my previous Citizenship news). Their electoral cards are directly delivered to their abode.
Aware of the issue, as for the elections of 2006 and 2008, the Italian government has approved an ad hoc Decree (n. 226 of 22 December 2012) to allow certain categories of citizens temporarily abroad to cast their ballots. Yet this special “last-minute enrolment” applies only to members of the Army and Police corps officially serving overseas, civil servants and diplomats, professors and researchers temporarily employed by universities or research centres out of the country.
According to the “Erasmus Annual Report” of 2010/2011, there were more than 22,000 students from Italy participating in the exchange programme last year. On that basis, it is estimated that, currently, there are between 20,000 and 25,000 Italian Erasmus students who risk to be denied their constitutional right.