There is an election upcoming. June 9th voters across the EU will elect 705 members of the EU parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg to represent them the next five years.
This year will be different for me. As I’m between jobs, I responded to a call for local election officials back in January. And I got a role. So June 9th I will participate in the election from the other side of the table. Helping people to vote in a nearby district. Counting the votes on the election night.
Firm and fair
EU has a special place in my heart. The vision anchored in the overnational rights of free movement is why I am married today and have a wonderful family. My wife is Ukrainian. When after dating for more than a year we decided to live together permanently I looked into how this could happen. I investigated both the national Danish requirements and the options available through the EU freedom of movement principle. As Denmark had had a right wing government for 10 years at the time, it had become much harder to bring a partner from outside the EU to come live with you in Denmark. But fundamentally what convinced me to get married and move to Sweden was that just as I had read up on all the rules, a national election was called and political parties left and right competed to introduce even more draconian measures, vaguely described in media headlines.
The popular statement at the time was that the Danish rules should be “firm and fair”. As they changed twice per year they were neither. I couldn’t start a family asking my future wife to have faith in the political whims of Danish politicians that was as predictable as the weather in April.
The requirements for granting my partner residence permit in EU was that we were married, had a place to live and that we as a family could support ourselves financially.
So I found a place to live in Malmö in Sweden just across the border from Copenhagen. We got married in Copenhagen on a Schengen visa. And I joined the many colleagues I had that were already commuting in from Sweden.
Now years later we live in Botkyrka southwest of Stockholm with two wonderful eu citizens aged 9 and 11. My wife got her EU passport after five years in Sweden. Just as I read and understood the rules back in October 2010.
Same, same but different
Yesterday I attended a mandatory training session for the election role and meeting the team I will be working with on the day. Super interesting to get to experience how this is done. While Denmark and Sweden are both democratic countries and members of the eu, there are finer nuances on how the two countries do things. Like how Sweden offers a selection of different ballots that voters pick prior to entering the booth while Denmark uses a single long ballot with all the parties and candidates listed. You also feel the effort going into realising the ideals of free and inclusive elections.
Fond memories also go back to my childhood. My mother worked as a public servant in the local municipality and helped with Danish elections back when I was a kid. I remember how devoted she was to make this happen, working late to help count all the votes.
Looking forward to a long but fun election day in June. Remember to use your democratic rights. Vote. The existence of your grandkids may depend on it.