No Controls Against Double Voting in EP Election

Some European citizens have the possibility to vote twice in this week’s European Parliament elections, even though it would be considered election fraud to vote in more than one country. If citizens live in another EU country, they can vote both in that country as well as in their country of origin. No automatic controls are carried out at present to check that people do not use both their ballots. Danish daily Politiken reported on Italian Pia Vannacci Elnif, who has received poll cards to vote in Denmark as well as in Italy. Ms Elnif has dual-citizenship, but lives in Denmark. In Italy, she would be sentenced to jail or fined if she did use both her ballot cards and voted in both countries. But it is not only EU citizens with dual-citizenship who are being offered the opportunity to double their influence in politics. Badeloch Noldus Lund, a Dutch citizen living in Denmark for three years, has also been sent a poll card to participate in the Danish elections but she would also be able to vote via the Internet in the Dutch elections. In total, 15,772 foreigners have received a Danish poll card for Sunday’s European elections, according to the Ministry of the Interior. EU legislation says that every citizen of the Union 'residing in a Member State' of which he or she is not a national now 'has the right to vote in the elections to the European Parliament on the same conditions as the nationals of that State'. (EUobserver.com)