Should citizens of your country that live elsewhere have the right to vote?

@evan Yes, but only for federal matters (assuming a government with local/provincial/federal splits) and, as a matter of taste, only if you plan to return or for your family to return.

If you haven't got a stake in that country's future (and will not feel the effects of its policies) I do not think you _should_ vote, but given that's unenforceable, then I think you should _be allowed_ to.

@evan@cosocial.ca are you guys actually implying there are scenarios in which a citizen of a country shouldn’t be allowed to vote for their country?
Like, for real? ​​
wtf is citizenship for then?

@malte I like that the EU requires local elections to allow EU citizen local residents to vote, and I like that Sweden goes further and allows all local residents of age to vote in local elections.

@evan

@evan
If you choose to not live in a country then why should you get the privilege of a vote in that country?

@evan Who on Earth doesn't vote "Yes" ?
People who don't understand what citizenship is, I presume.

@mpjgregoire @evan @stinerman It's a good idea in theory, but in practice it's a bit silly. My representative represents Russia, most of Asia and Oceania. Three regions that have little in common. Our previous representative was a Putin-controlled asshole. A current one is a business woman from HK or Singapore, I even forget. Neither is "representative" of anything.

@EdwinG @evan That's such an Anglo thing to associate taxes and voting rights. Very "democratic" idea. So people who are too poor to pay taxes, shouldn't have the right to vote either? Only landowners like in the good olden days? Probably white and male too, right?

@fdrc_ff @evan Yes, some people are. They're making me angry right now.

@alisonw @evan Because voting is either a right or a duty, not a privilege. Because citizenship is a thing.

@evan From some answers, I see a lot of people have the good old landowner (male and white too?) mentality when it comes to voting rights. You would expect people on the Fediverse to understand what democracy and citizenship are a little better.

@DavidBHimself @evan I simply don't like what expats tend to vote for.

@evan

If they've established themselves elsewhere—job, home—no.

Conversely, unlike some countries, emigrants shouldn't have to pay taxes on income not earned in their former country.

They regain the right on return.

And for the same reason, immigrants¹ who have established themselves somewhere—job, home,… —should be allowed to vote after at most 5 years.

Disclosure: I emigrated from England and never voted there since.
___
1. Funny how it's mostly white people who are called "expats", people of colour are "immigrants"

@DavidBHimself That is not my point ‍️

What I’m saying… who am I to impose my political preferences as a citizen of country A to people in country B that I don’t live with and don’t know their current needs‽

Let’s say… the hypothetical where I live, we decide to that mastering multiple languages (A and B) is a requirement to get your secondary education diploma. But in country B, such a suggestion would be seen as an attack against said country.

It’s just hard to find non-tax examples

@evan

@EricLawton "emigrants" is also a good term.

@EricLawton I think when you are talking from the perspective of the country they left, "immigrant" (in + migrant) is inaccurate.

Other terms we use: overseas citizens, citizens abroad.

I'm not actually across a sea from my birth country, unless you count the St. Lawrence Seaway, so I don't use that term often.

Abroad sounds like it could mean temporarily away, like on a long vacation .

@EdwinG
And yet, you did mention taxes. Something that would never cross my mind when talking about voting.

Also, you've never lived in another country, have you?

Who are you to impose your political preference? You are a citizen of your own country, just like every other citizen of your own country "impose" their political preference when it's election time.

(and sorry, I don't understand your countries A and B example, it's not about country A and B, it's about country A only)

@evan

@gabriele Wow, that's quite a gross generalization. So all emigrants ("expat" is also quite a gross term) are the same? What's next? All women are the same? All black people are the same?

@evan

@DavidBHimself I have lived in another country. I even held a triple citizenship for a certain time. I didn’t vote in elections for regions I was not residing in.

The question is literally: Should people that lived in your country (A) but moved away to another country (B) be still allowed to vote in your country (A)?

@evan

As a Swede living abroad, I also appreciate that, as I'm still subject to some Swedish regulation, my citizenship still gives me the right to vote in national elections.

I just find it a bit funny that I'm voting for representatives of the last Swedish circuit I lived in, and I wish Sweden did it like France and had a separate Swedes abroad circuit. Organizations for Swedes abroad are lobbying for this, but they have been doing it forever without much progress.

One more thing about EU rules: EU citizens, citizens of an EU country, vote for EU Parliament representatives of the country they reside, not their country of citizenship. This also makes sense to me.

There is some cheating going on where some people double-vote in their country of citizenship and their country of residence, but according to reports, it's too insignificant to matter.

@evan @malte

@EdwinG
I do understand the question, it's your example with A and B that didn't make much sense (The situation in country B is irrelevant to the question).

You do understand that people with multiple nationalities are a special case, right?

The question is about emigrants. If you have dual citizenship you're not an emigrant or an immigrant.

@evan