'A million votes': campaign denounces disenfranchisement of foreign residents

Around 15% of Catalonia's adult population is not allowed to vote in the upcoming February 14 election because they are not Spanish citizens.

It is precisely this situation that the 'A million votes' campaign, launched by civil society organizations Òminum Cultural, Casa Nostra Casa Vostra, and the Top Manta Street Vendors Union, seeks to condemn in a minute-long video that already has over 200,000 views.

1 milió de persones residents a Catalunya no podran votar el #14F.

Si no tens previst anar a votar, cedeix el teu vot a algú que no pugui.#1MiliódeVots

Comparteix-ho! pic.twitter.com/SnS7dJoscT

— CasaNostraCasaVostra (@volemacollir) February 3, 2021

"We are part of the country's present and also want to decide on its future," the clip's protagonists, including 20-year-old YouTuber and iCat radio presenter Long Li or Aziz Faye of the Street Vendors Union, assert.

According to the campaign organizers, not allowing residents to participate in politics is a "clear violation" of their fundamental rights, and they encourage those who were not planning to participate in the Catalan election to "give their vote" to a non-citizen by posting a message on social media with the #1MilióDeVots hashtag.

Previous enfranchisement efforts

Campaigns shedding light on the sheer number of people excluded from participating in politics, especially given the obstacles faced when attempting to acquire Spanish citizenship, are not new, but perhaps not nearly as visible as the 'A million votes' given the prominence of its organizers.

Safia El Aaddam, the young woman known as 'Hija de inmigrantes' ('Daughter of immigrants') on social media, for example, is the powerhouse behind the Votar es un derecho ('Voting is a right') campaign. Born and raised in the small town of Segur de Calafell, near Tarragona, to Moroccan parents, and frustrated at her inability to participate in politics like her peers, El Aaddam manages a site matching citizens who do not want to vote with non-citizens who want to vote.

Aquí os dejo el procedimiento y en qué consiste ceder el voto en la campaña #Votaresunderecho
Os tenéis que inscribir en la página web https://t.co/0bs1xkHiwF pic.twitter.com/7ZO0CD0nyW

— Hijadeinmigrantes (@SafiaElaaddam) February 4, 2021