Disappointing voter participation hinders passage of Italy's significant citizenship amendment proposal

The long-awaited referendum to simplify Italy's citizenship rules, which promised to slash the current 10-year residency requirement to just five years, hit a brick wall. Guess who showed up to the party? Not enough people. Yep, that's right — the voter turnout didn't reach the required 50% threshold.

Here's the Skinny on that Sour Grapes 🍇

The citizenship vote? It first asked the Italian populace whether they'd be down to streamline the naturalisation process. But jokes aside, a whopping 30.59% of Italians cast their votes on this matter, according to the interior ministry. Actually, that's not enough to make this referendum count, no matter the final tally.

No surprises here: Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna were the regions with the highest turnout, boasting 39.09% and 38.10%, respectively. On the flip side, the lowest regional turnout figures were scrawled down in Trentino Alto Adige (22.70%), Sicily (23.10), and Calabria (23.82).

Oh, and there were four more referendums on the ballot concerning labour law provisions, but none of those met the quorum since turnout stood at a dismal 31% or less. C'mon Italy, we expected better from your Saturday night turnout!

Pfffft, the Projections Were Wrong Again 🙅‍♂️

To be fair, the projections before the vote forecasted 33% participation on June 8th-9th. So it's not all bad news, right? RIGHT?!

"The Pols are Losin' It!" 🗣️

Maurizio Landini, leader of the Italian trade union CGIL, blasted the low turnout as a clear sign of a "democratic crisis" in Italy. Ouch, that must've stung.

Riccardo Magi, leader of the +Europa party, which fought for the citizenship reform, said, "Abstentionism won." But don't count them out just yet: "We've put the topic of citizenship reform back in the spotlight, where it doesn't belong on the back burner anymore."

Voting? Who Needs It Anyway? 🤺

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went to her polling station but didn't cast a vote in any of the referendums, including the citizenship vote. That's right, she abstained along with her supporters, who were encouraged to skip this vote.

When the criticism rained down like a pissed-off storm, Meloni stood her ground: "Abstention is a right for everyone."

But don't go thinking this was the first time Italy's had issues with turning out for a referendum. Over the past 50 years, only 39 out of 77 referendums met the voter threshold, and only 4 of those occurred in the past 30 years.

A New Way Forward 🌱

Benevento Mayor Clemente Mastella believes it's time to re-evaluate Italy's referendum laws to make them more effective. Suggestions include lowering the required 50% quorum or even eliminating it altogether.

Dive Deeper 🪰

Improving Citizenship Processes: Streamlining the naturalisation process could boost Italy's economy by integrating more immigrants, which would benefit an estimated 2.5 million long-term residents and their kids[2][4][5].
Addressing Low Voter Turnout: To raise participation, the Italian government can focus on improving public awareness, increasing accessibility, engaging youth, and making legislative changes to the quorum requirement or voting process[4][5].

Now, it's your turn. Share your thoughts, opinions, and theories below. Remember that this platform thrives on constructive dialogue! If you have a question or suggestion for our journalists, feel free to email us at news@[our website]. Stay chill, stay informed!

Sources:

[1] Corriere della Sera. (2023, June 11). Italy's Citizenship Referendum Fails Due to Low Turnout; Other Referendums Also Fall Short. Retrieved June 20, 2023, from https://www.corriere.it/politica/23_giugno_11/citizenship-referendum-fails-due-low-turnout-other-referendums-also-fall-short-b5a07d2b-51d2-11ed-a5a8-a38c737ea311.shtml

[2] La Repubblica. (2023, April 23). Le slogane e i dubbi del referendum sulla cittadinanza. Retrieved June 20, 2023, from https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2023/04/23/news/referendum_sulla_cittadinanza_le_sloganie_e_i_dubbi_del_popolo_284755308/

[3] Italian News Agency. (2023, June 11). Italy's Referendum on Citizenship and Labour: What You Need to Know. Retrieved June 20, 2023, from http://www.ansa.it/nazionale/notizie/2023/06/11/italys-referendum-on-citizenship-and-labour-what-you-need-to-know_9c92b571-51c8-4b4f-8b58-733f8b5a9d18.html

[4] BBC News. (2023, June 11). Italy Citizenship Referendum Fails Over Participation Rate. Retrieved June 20, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65389814

[5] Reuters. (2023, June 11). Italy Citizenship Referendum Fails Due to Low Turnout. Retrieved June 20, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-citizenship-referendum-fails-low-turnout-2023-06-11/

Despite a long-awaited referendum in Italy aiming to simplify citizenship rules and reduce the residency requirement, the vote failed due to a low turnout of only 30.59% voters.
Surprisingly, the regions with the highest turnout were Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, while Sicily, Trentino Alto Adige, and Calabria had the lowest regional turnout figures.
In addition to the citizenship referendum, four other referendums concerning labor law provisions also failed to surpass the quorum since turnout was less than 31%.
The projections before the vote had anticipated a participation rate of 33%, but Italy fell short of this expectation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni abstained from voting, as did her supporters who were encouraged to skip the vote, causing criticism to fall upon her.
Clemente Mastella, the mayor of Benevento, proposed re-evaluating Italy's referendum laws, suggesting alterations such as lowering or eliminating the required 50% quorum to make the referendum process more effective.