The Brussels Parliament adopted a resolution for better inclusion of voting rights for non-Belgians in municipal elections on Friday evening, to increase the number of registrations and reduce disparities between municipalities across the region.
The Brussels-Capital Region has more than 1.2 million residents on its territory – around 450,000 of them international. Still, only about 15% of the non-Belgians eligible to vote did so in the previous local elections. For Brussels MP Els Rochette (Vooruit.brussels), this is a democratic deficit.
"You have to give non-Belgians a push to register. Some Brussels municipalities are making that effort. They devote time, attention and resources in the run-up to municipal elections. Other municipalities do none of that – you can tell by the turnout," she said.
"Exercising your right to vote should not depend on the municipality where you happen to live."
'Essential part' of the city
Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations, Alain Hutchinson, is "delighted" that Parliament passed the resolution concerning the presence of non-Belgians in the Capital Region, he said in a statement to The Brussels Times.
"This resolution addresses the two major democratic issues facing international Brussels residents, who make up a third of the population of the Brussels-Capital Region: boosting their participation in local elections, where they already have the right to vote, and giving them the right to vote at the regional level."
Hutchinson stressed that these residents are "an essential part of our region's society and workforce" and that it is clear that they "want to have their say on the political decisions that affect their daily lives" – pointing to the success of the Brussels Voice participation platform.
Flags waving in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Credit: EP
While non-Belgian voter turnout in local elections has indeed remained low, Hutchinson believes this is due to confusion and reluctance due to information that is often insufficient and late, rather than a lack of interest.
Now, the adopted resolution demands that the Brussels Government gives more directions (such as guidelines for municipalities to approach potential voters in a timely manner and monitor results) and assist municipalities with information duties.
"We must do all we can to get non-Belgians into the voting booth. A municipality must think of all inhabitants in its policy," Rochette said.
The resolution states that the registration form to vote in local elections should be offered to EU nationals when they register in their municipality.
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Municipalities will also actively "recover" voters – retroactively asking them why they have not voted before and to inform them of how to do so. The Region should support municipalities in creating uniform, informed and clear information (translations, graphics, pictograms) for distribution, as well as investigate why non-Belgians do not register to vote and monitor participation.
"My office and our Expat Welcome Desk have been working for a long time to make international Brussels residents aware of their rights and the procedures to sign up to vote," Hutchinson said. "I welcome the expanded mandate that this resolution will give us. Our democracy is certainly worth the investment."
In the long term, the Commissioner hopes that the Region's international communities will also have the right to vote in regional elections. "But this year, I urge them to make use of the vote they already have in the local elections."
