photo: pirati.cz
Thanks to the Pirates, the Chamber of Deputies passed a bill at an extraordinary session today that will finally allow Czechs abroad a fairer and easier opportunity to vote. Despite many hours of obstruction by the opposition, MPs have clearly shown that they care about citizens and want to make democratic elections more accessible. The amendment to the law on postal voting was co-sponsored by the Pirates and is backed by all parties in the governing coalition.
"Today, a Czech who is abroad on a temporary job travels thousands of kilometres across the country on a crowded train looking for a way to get to the embassy. This will end thanks to the possibility of voting by post. The correspondence option is the right way for Czechs abroad to simply click once on a website and get their envelopes home. Then, in the comfort of their home, they just put their vote in the envelopes and they are done. No unnecessary complications, no unnecessary spending of money on fares and no unnecessarily long travelling," said Jakub Michálek, chair of the Pirates club and one of the proposal's sponsors.
"Modern times call for a modern approach to the electoral process. Correspondence voting is not just about convenience for voters abroad. It is also about strengthening democracy. It allows more people to express their views. And if the only way to do that is to listen to ten hours of opposition speeches on everything possible, that is a price we will pay for our citizens abroad without hesitation. For the approval of the postal vote is a step towards a more modern and fairer society. And this is the course we and the Pirates are pursuing in the face of any political storm," added Pirates chair Ivan Bartoš.
Despite some of the doubts that accompanied the amendment during its discussion in the Chamber of Deputies, thanks to the Pirates' negotiations, the Czechs managed to reach a version of the law that will be functional, simple and accessible to all Czechs abroad who request it and who will know in advance where they will be abroad at the time the envelopes are delivered.
"Our aim is to make the whole application as easy as possible. And that everything you need can be clicked on one online form. Now we still have to get the Senate's approval and the president's signature, and the system could be operational from April next year. We promised people this and the Pirates are keeping their promises," Michálek added.
The possibility of voting by mail was previously promised by Andrej Babiš in the government's programme declaration. Tomio Okamura also drew inspiration from the Swiss electoral system, where it is even possible to vote via the internet, in his book. But it was the two of them who were the main representatives of the parliamentary obstruction during the debate. The need to introduce more equal access to voting abroad has been clearly evident for more than twenty years.
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