Archive for the ‘politics’ Category
love thursday: heartin’ politics
It’s almost time! Italian elections will be held Sunday and Monday.
Other than having two days instead of one to vote, another big difference in elections here (from those in the US) is that the parties running on the local level adopt their own names, logos, and slogans.
What does that mean? Well, for example, the party that I’ll be voting for on Sunday is aligned with the larger Partito Democratico on the national level but it has its own symbol, completely different from that of the PD.
What does this have to do with Love Thursday?
Well for the past few weeks, everywhere I turn in the village I see:
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
How to Vote as an Italian Living Abroad
There has been a *huge* increase in requests for recognition of Italian citizenship over the past several years–my and my father’s requests included.
Along with “creating” many more Italian citizens in the world, this also means that many (non- or little-speaking Italian) people are becoming eligible to vote in Italian elections for the first times in their lives.
And believe me, the process is *very* different than in the United States.
As I think there may be quite a few people out there confused by the instructions, I’m going to break it down here, in English, and urge you–if you are an Italian citizen, PLEASE exercise your right to VOTE in this election.
AND PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE NOT FOR BERLUSCONI!
Every Italian citizen residing abroad should be registered with the local consulate in the A.I.R.E. (Anagrafe Italiani Residenti Estero). If you are, you should have already received a packet from your consulate including:
- Your electoral certificate (with your name on giving you the right to vote);
- Two (2) different colored ballots (pink for the Camera dei Deputati and blue for the Senato); if you are under the age of 25, you will receive only a ballot for the Camera;
- Two (2) envelopes (one small, blank, and white and the other larger and self-addressed and stamped to your consulate);
- The list of candidates for your area; and
- An information sheet.
1. First of all, grab and use a blue or black pen.
2. Now, an aside to explain a little of what’s going on with the ballots: below the main candidates, all of the people on their “lists” are from the “estero” or outside Italy; those elected will represent your interests as an Italian citizen residing abroad.
Depending on where you live, you will be able to vote for differing numbers of deputati and senatori–don’t worry, the number of blank lines will tell you how many you are allowed to write in.
If you are in North or Central America like my dad, for example, you can vote for 2 deputati and 1 senatore.
So . . .
3. To vote, you place an X over the logo of the party of your choice.
My advice is this one:
Vote for Veltroni! Woohoo!
4. Now you can write in your choices for senatori and deputati as described above being extremely careful to copy the names exactly as printed on the list. And don’t write anything else!
[If you would like my suggestions on senatori and deputati please contact me privately; find information on the candidates (in Italian) here.]
5. Fold and put your two ballots in the small blank white envelope and seal it.
6. Put that envelope inside the bigger envelope addressed to the consulate.
7. Tear off the bottom part of your electoral certificate at the perforation, put that in the big envelope with the ballots, and seal it.
8. Mail it off–it must be received by your consulate by April 10–and wait for election results.
Optional: buy some prosecco if you’re feeling particularly confident in your party.
This page has a fabulous graphic of this whole process. If you have any questions, please leave a comment or contact me.
And, in case I haven’t been clear . . .
*Special thanks to the website of Gino Bucchino, candidate for Camera dei Deputati for Central and North America with Partito Democratico‘s (and my) main man, Walter Veltroni; and I’m not just saying this because Bucchino was born in Calabria, I swear.
news from italy (couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried)
* Have you joined The Ultimate Blog Party? See my welcome post here! *
Remember when I told you that men can no longer (legally) grab their crotches in public in the Bel Paese any more?
Well I have some more tidbits for you. Let’s link arms and stroll through these.
* Lying about adultery to police is OK! *
For women, at least. Italy’s highest appellate court has ruled that it is permissible for a married woman to lie about extra-marital, ahem, activity in a judicial investigation because adultery damages her honor.
Yes, this court referred to a woman’s honor.
In 2008.
In unrelated news, former U.S. President Bill Clinton has announced plans to move to Italy and fight for equality under the law. Hah! Just kidding! Still love ya Bubba! Go Hibs!
Of course the Italian court in question is the same one that once ruled that a woman wearing tight jeans couldn’t, by definition, be raped because said jeans could only be removed with her consent. That ruling was, by the way, later overturned.
* If you have pending criminal charges against you, run for office! *
Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s trial on corruption charges has been suspended until after next month’s elections . . . in which Berlu is seeking to become Italy’s Prime Minister. Again.
And he’s leading in the polls folks. Gah!
Should he win, I’m sure he’ll just pass a law that says he can’t be brought to trial during his reign as Prime Minister. You know, like he’s done before.
Or maybe he’ll just decriminalize the offenses with which he’s charged. You know, like he’s done before.
Yes, we have our own version of Teflon Don over here, although to be clear, I do not insinuate or imply any Mafia connections regarding Berlusconi, who estimates he’s been in nearly 100 court cases since entering the political realm.
Convictions? Hah! You funny.
So that’s what’s new over here. And you thought Hillary’s being called a “monster” was scandalous.
expat countdown meme
My fellow American in Calabria, Cherrye of My Bella Vita, did this meme a looooong time ago, but I’m just getting around to it.
She got it from Expat Travels: From Switzerland to Canada (where I saw it as well) who got it from The CanadianSwiss Blog…and as I’ve been promising Diane of Martinis for Two that I’d talk a bit more about my expat feelings, I figured now was as good a time as any to do this one.
* Name 5 things you love in your new country:
- Knowing that a neighbor always has something I need–parsley, lemons, tomatoes, gossip (yes, even things I don’t need!).
- The sea, the sea, the beautiful Ionian Sea and the mountains, the mountains, the gorgeous mountains–all from my balcony!
- Fresh, organic food that is readily available and relatively inexpensive.
- Clean, fresh air.
- Not having to worry about health insurance.
* Name 4 things that you miss from your native country:
- My family and friends, of course.
- Ethnic food of any kind other than Italian/Calabrian.
- Jeans that I like and that fit me well.
- American sports, especially watching my Duke Blue Devils this time of year (and especially *especially* when they beat Carolina).
* Name 3 things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
- Silvio Berlusconi.
- The pathetic salaries in sharp contrast to the high cost of living.
- Did I mention Berlusconi?
* Name 2 things that surprise you (or have surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
- How difficult it has been to get to know Italian women as friends.
- The entire Italian education system, including how long it takes many to get through university.
* Name 1 thing that you would terribly miss in your new country, if you had to leave it.
- Well, P of course, but also the Italian language. I’m not sure I could do without it anymore. I came here knowing nothing, but now I’m addicted.
Fellow expats, do play along!
But hey, even if you’ve moved from one place to another within the same country, I’d be interested to read your answers to this meme–sometimes moving within a country can feel just as foreign as hopping the pond.
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[tags]expats, italy, expats in italy, memes[/tags]
Voting from Abroad in Italy (for Democrats)
We’ve discussed what’s going on in the Italian political sphere, so it’s only fair that I also talk about my homeland, the United States, in this extremely important election year.
Some of you have asked whether I, as a dual Italian-American citizen, can vote in American elections as well as Italian–and the answer is yes. And up until this year, all I had to do was ask for my absentee ballots in time.
FYI, in order to get absentee ballots and vote the old-fashioned way, Americans living abroad can visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program or the Overseas Vote Foundation for specific state requirements.
But this year, there’s another option, at least for Democrats.
If you’re a Democrat, you can, for the first time ever, vote *online* in the Democrats Abroad Global Primary. If you’re in Italy, you can also vote in person in Rome, Florence, Milan, or Bologna. See DemocratsAbroad.org for more details.
If you’re a registered Republican, though, this option isn’t available to you just yet so you’ll have to go the absentee route.
Now, who should you vote for? Well if you’re still undecided, there are plenty of online quizzes that will match you up with the candidate whose views are closest to yours; my favorite is from Glassbooth.org.
You’re given 20 points to allot among a list of issues depending on how important they are to you, and then you answer a series of more specific questions.
Click! And you have the candidate whose views are most similar to yours.
How’d I do? Of the remaining candidates, Mike Gravel and I are apparently peas in a pod at 85%–who knew? I hadn’t even heard of him until I took this quiz. Quite depressing actually.
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and I meet at the 74% mark, while John Edwards and I agree 73% of the time.
I have to be honest. I’m not uber-excited about any of the candidates (I would’ve loved to have voted for Dennis Kucinich or Joe Biden . . . or Al Gore!), but I do know I’ll be voting Democrat in November. After all, I am pretty much what you’d call a Yellow Dog Democrat and proud:
That’s for you Cherrye!
No matter who you’re supporting, BE SURE TO VOTE!
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[tags]elections, presidential election, presidential primaries, voting overseas, voting abroad, glassbooth, democrats abroad, yellow dog democrat[/tags]
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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