20/09/2020
I voted! Io ho votato!
Today I cast my first vote as an Italian citizen! (I received dual citizenship about two years ago, but this was the first election I was in Italy to vote for!) Your voter registration card also is your voting records and gets stamped every time you vote!
If you are voting the polls are open today until 11pm or tomorrow until 3pm.
The elections being held today are twofold: in seven regions, including Tuscany, we are voting for the regional president. This is like voting for governor in the U.S. Alongside this vote, you also cast two votes for regional counselors. In Italy, you vote for one man and one woman for these positions.
Nationally, everyone is voting on a constitutional referendum that would decrease the number of parliamentarians in the national government. (Italy has about 1/6th the population of the U.S. but twice the number of legislators.)
This is part of a campaign to reform Italian politics, which is something people seem to agree is necessary but disagree about how to accomplish. I read the Italian constitution last night (it was very impressive though quite long...seems they were more wordy in 1946 than in 1776...) and while I support reforming the system I don’t believe this is the way to do it and worry cutting the number of representatives without other measures in place will result in consolidation of power among those most privileged and most entrenched in the system and risks keeping new ideas, younger voices and disrupters out of the system. To me, you need to have a more thoughtful plan before you amend a foundational document like the constitution.
I consider an immense honor to exercise my right to vote here. Women were not able to vote in Italy until 1945! (In 1924 they were able to vote only in local elections.) To mark the occasion, I wore my great-grandmothers earrings (she was born in Caserta) and a bright red dress, the color of the parties of the Left.
