Did you know that international voters could be ONE THIRD of all voters in the Brussels Region? That’s enormous, when city councilors can get elected with just a few hundred votes.
We’re volunteering for the VoteBrussels Campaign with the Brussels Region to sign up 300,000 voters for the local elections on 13 October. Our 2018 VoteBrussels campaign helped to double the number of international voters for the 2018 local elections. Our successful 1bru1Vote petition secured a resolution from the Brussels Regional Parliament to fight long-term for the regional right to vote for international voters, greater outreach and more automatic voter registration. The Brussels Region is now supporting our new VoteBrussels Campaign to offer trainings for international voters at all 19 Brussels city halls and to set up ‘voting box’ stands across the city in May & June, ahead of the 31 July voter registration deadline.
What can I do to sign up?
Signing up to vote is probably the easiest thing you’ll do in Belgium. You can sign up online with an electronic card reader or ITSME. Or print out the form (for EU citizens or non-EU citizens) and then mail or drop it off at your commune—no need for other documents, appointments or waiting in line.
What can I do to volunteer?
Will you join our international community of volunteers to sign up your friends, family, neighbours & colleagues?
Sign up for our newsletter. You’ll be invited to our volunteer trainings. After that, you can invite us to your organisation, office & neighborhood. We’ll connect you together with other volunteers from your same commune and nationality to brainstorm together activities online & offline.
Why Brussels can become the most international democracy?
Brussels is the most cosmopolitan city in the democratic world. If Brussels were 10 people, we’d be:
We ARE the city – Brussels is us! Eligible non-Belgian voters could represent up to 300,000 voters or ONE THIRD of all potential voters in October’s local elections. If we all come together to vote, then Brussels can actually become the most democratic, diverse city in the world. Brussels politicians will become more responsive to ordinary citizens like you and me. And we will get one big step closer to the Brussels we want.
Check our Communal Elections Playbook video!
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">How international voters can make Brussels democracy work?
Here are five key ways how international voters can transform Brussels into the world’s most democratic, cosmopolitan metropolis!
Do you know how many internationals there are in Brussels? 300,000! We could be 1/3 of all potential voters across Brussels communes and up to 1/2 in Etterbeek, Ixelles & St. Gilles. International voters are critical for local democracy in Brussels, where city councilors can get elected with a few hundred votes.
We have more powers at local level in Belgium than anywhere else in Europe! That’s why some of Belgium’s most popular and powerful politicians actually choose to serve at local rather than regional or federal level. At local level, you can vote to improve your street, your neighborhood, your security, your services at city hall, your quality of life! For you, what’s one of the most important changes that you would like to vote for in our commune?
Belgium has been a world leader on electoral participation, so that all voters are treated equally and represented. So many Belgians & non-Belgians fought long and hard for your right to vote–as a worker, woman, youth, EU and non-EU citizen. Brussels’ international community have inspired change in Brussels–from the Grand Place to the Pedestrian Zone. You too can also make history by voting to make the city better for everyone.
Brussels’ international community is not only responsible for Brussels dynamic economy, cosmopolitan culture & status as Capital of Europe. EU citizens can run in the local elections as candidates for the city council. During the last local elections in 2018, 300 EU citizen candidates ran and 25 were elected across Brussels and across the political spectrum. Politicians of diverse backgrounds were also elected mayor in 5 of Brussels’ 19 communes (Ganshoren, Ixelles, Koekelberg, Saint Josse & Uccle). So you can vote and volunteer for candidates that represent the full richness of Brussels voters.
We have more political choices in Belgium than in most countries! You can vote for national and local parties as well as specific candidates, including EU citizens. The polls suggest that the 2024 elections will be extremely close in Belgium. This year, a lot could change in your commune. Take the Brussels Electoral Test by the RTBF/LaLibre (French) or VRT (Dutch) to discover what are Belgium’s national parties and which are closest to you on the Brussels election issues that you care about.
FAQ<span data-metadata="">
There’s no need to worry about signing up—there’s no risks, no problems, no sanctions in Belgium or abroad. For example, if on election day you’re traveling or unavailable, you can vote by proxy by giving this form to another voter. Find the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our Local Recommendations<span data-metadata="">
Following the 2018 VoteBrussels and 1bru1Vote campaigns, we came together to propose recommendations for Belgian authorities at local, regional, federal & European level. These recommendations were drafted and agreed by the campaign’s volunteers and around a dozen EU citizen candidates from diverse parties, who came together in a ‘Citizens Convention’ on 19 November 2018.
Our recommendations were presented by VoteBrussels & 1bru1Vote at the Brussels Parliament’s General Affairs/Finance Committee on 14 January 2019. Our local recommendations were also published in French in Le Soir newspaper on 21 August and in Dutch and English in the BRUZZ regional magazine on 29 August.
With the support of
The VoteBrussels campaign is financed by the Brussels Region, as a project of the “Union for Unity” (U4U) Trade Union of EU Institution staff.