A special day is approaching in Austria and it is on everyone’s lips – the media is in a frenzy, the people sitting next to you in the café are talking about it and even the usually quiet Sunday family meal is causing a stir. It is election day again. But not just any election day – on May 22, 2016, the Austrians will elect their Federal President. It hasn’t been as exciting and moving as this time for a long time.
No, this blog post will not deal with which candidate would be better for Austria; there are enough articles and analyses on that. Rather, we want to show why it is so important to vote:
Our right to vote is not a given. It was fought for a long time and many lives were lost in this struggle, starting with the revolutions of 1848 and ending with the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy in 1918, which was the first to make universal voting rights possible for all. Before that, there were different formats such as the census and curia system or the universal right to vote for men in 1907. Incidentally, women only received this right in 1919. Before that, the only option to take part in elections was through the census vote, when the required taxes were paid.
However, the implementation of universal suffrage for all did not last long, as in 1933 the government under Dollfuß eliminated parliament and an authoritarian corporate state was established. It was only since the founding of the Second Republic in 1945 that we have enjoyed the privilege of electing our representatives and our Federal President and thus indirectly participating in shaping Austria and protecting our interests.
For many, however, our privilege of being able to vote no longer seems to be one: political disillusionment has been increasing for years, many people are frustrated because they feel that they cannot change anything with their vote or no longer vote in protest – or simply have no strong interest or political awareness. BUT: every single vote counts!
With your vote, you influence the direction in which Austria should go and how it presents itself to the world. You have an influence on the interpretation of democracy and the swearing-in of the next federal government. With your vote, you ensure a functioning democracy: the form of government that offers you freedom, equality, protection, participation and the most diverse forms of life.
If you don’t vote, others will and decide your future!
With this in mind, we wish you a happy election Sunday!