• German newspaper editor in trouble after revealing he voted twice, didn't know it was illegal
    30 replies, posted
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/75122000/jpg/_75122536_dilorenzo_061010_afp.jpg[/img] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-27587714[/url] [quote]The head of one of Germany's most prestigious newspapers has revealed on live TV that he voted twice in the European elections, attracting ridicule and leading prosecutors to open an electoral fraud investigation. Giovanni di Lorenzo, editor-in-chef of the highbrow weekly Die Zeit, was apparently unaware he'd done anything wrong when he told a talk show that because he has dual Italian-German citizenship he cast votes for both countries in the EU elections, the Bild newspaper reports. "I'm allowed to vote twice because I have two passports," he said on the ARD network's Guenther Jauch programme, explaining that he'd voted on Saturday at the Italian consulate in Hamburg, and then again on Sunday at a polling station in a local primary school.[/quote]
how do you NOT know that you aren't supposed to vote twice even if you have 2 passports especially since you aren't illiterate or anything
So does he not understand democracy or what? Sounds to me like he thought he'd get away with it and is just trying to bullshit his way out now.
Democritus is rolling in his grave.
Why wouldn't he be able to vote twice? If I had Russian citizenship as well as Swedish, would I not be allowed to vote in Swedish and Russian elections? EU is not one country.
The vote was for officials of the EU organization I assume.
[QUOTE=Grenadiac;44931800]The vote was for officials of the EU organization I assume.[/QUOTE] Yeah but votes are done country by country, we don't vote for the same political parties across the EU.
Regardless of national boundaries it's a single election to a single parliament across the EU and every person is meant to have one vote. No one is entitled to vote twice just because they have dual citizenship
The face he had on for the rest of the show was priceless. [t]http://img.welt.de/img/vermischtes/crop128407152/0638721099-ci3x2l-w620/title.jpg[/t] Jauch told him that even the attempt to manipulate the vote could make him face roughly 5 years in prison.
[QUOTE=Mitai;44931796]Why wouldn't he be able to vote twice? If I had Russian citizenship as well as Swedish, would I not be allowed to vote in Swedish and Russian elections? EU is not one country.[/QUOTE] The EU parliament is one body regardless of whether you're voting from Germany or Italy.
[QUOTE=Mitai;44931796]Why wouldn't he be able to vote twice? If I had Russian citizenship as well as Swedish, would I not be allowed to vote in Swedish and Russian elections? EU is not one country.[/QUOTE] because the votes are for the EU parliament and russia isn't in the EU
Wait, he have dual-citizenship? He can then.
[QUOTE=Grenadiac;44931728]So does he not understand democracy or what? Sounds to me like he thought he'd get away with it and is just trying to bullshit his way out now.[/QUOTE] I dunno, those reality shows that have voting allow viewers to vote up to 50 times with one phone number!
[QUOTE=Soret;44934182]Wait, he have dual-citizenship? He can then.[/QUOTE] he is a single citizen in the EU, having dual citizenship doesn't make you two citizens
He really fucked up.
I feel bad for him, I can see how he could make that mistake. I wouldn't have known that I wasn't allowed to vote for 2 different parties of the 2 different countries I'm a citizen of.
Holy fuck, if he does time for his nefarious plot to fuck over the whole democratic voting system with his ONE extra vote, I'll suck a communists dick.
[QUOTE=Soret;44934182]Wait, he have dual-citizenship? He can then.[/QUOTE] I have a dual citizenship. I can vote in Norwegian and American elections, but I can't vote in the same election twice.
[QUOTE=mac338;44941082]I have a dual citizenship. I can vote in Norwegian and American elections, but I can't vote in the same election twice.[/QUOTE]Why not though? Each country votes for their own representatives. If he has dual citizenship then why can't he vote for a party from each country? Theoretically the results are going to affect him in both countries.
[QUOTE=itisjuly;44941116]Why not though? Each country votes for their own representatives. If he has dual citizenship then why can't he vote for a party from each country? Theoretically the results are going to affect him in both countries.[/QUOTE] Because that means he has twice as much voting power as everyone else, and that's not particularly democratic, now is it?
[QUOTE=mac338;44941204]Because that means he has twice as much voting power as everyone else, and that's not particularly democratic, now is it?[/QUOTE] He is also twice the citizen many are. It's not like he can vote for same party twice to skew the results or anything.
[QUOTE=itisjuly;44941254]He is also twice the citizen many are. It's not like he can vote for same party twice to skew the results or anything.[/QUOTE] I don't vote twice in Belgian elections just because I have two houses in different cities, either. Same principle applies. 1 vote in the same election per person.
[QUOTE=Mitai;44931796]Why wouldn't he be able to vote twice?[/QUOTE] Because that would make his opinion count for two people, you silly cracker you.
how does one go about voting twice?
[QUOTE=deltasquid;44941277]I don't vote twice in Belgian elections just because I have two houses in different cities, either. Same principle applies. 1 vote in the same election per person.[/QUOTE] If the election is about choosing representative for each city, I don't see why you can't though since you are a citizen of both cities. "Because you can't" is not a valid reason as to why you actually can't.
[QUOTE=itisjuly;44941254]He is also twice the citizen many are. It's not like he can vote for same party twice to skew the results or anything.[/QUOTE] European citizenship is what allows you to vote in European Parliament elections. Dual citizenship of two EU member states does not make you a double European citizen. And yes he could vote twice for the same Europarty. If he voted for the SPD in Germany and the Democratic Party in Italy, that would be two votes for the Party of European Socialists. People in the UK [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plural_voting#United_Kingdom]used to be allowed to vote twice[/url] if they had two houses or something like that, but it was abolished decades ago. Some people could even vote three times
[QUOTE=smurfy;44941555]European citizenship is what allows you to vote in European Parliament elections. Dual citizenship of two EU member states does not make you a double European citizen. And yes he could vote twice for the same Europarty. If he voted for the SPD in Germany and the Democratic Party in Italy, that would be two votes for the Party of European Socialists. People in the UK [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plural_voting#United_Kingdom]used to be allowed to vote twice[/url] if they had two houses or something like that, but it was abolished decades ago. Some people could even vote three times[/QUOTE] Okay I get it now. Thanks.
Well, just remove his other or both votes, Jesus what makes it so hard to fix it?
[QUOTE=Careld;44942705]Well, just remove his other or both votes, Jesus what makes it so hard to fix it?[/QUOTE] The reason this is news is because he demonstrated that he doesn't understand how democracy works on live TV, and he's a large newspaper's editor so he's a somebody and he has influence and reach.
[QUOTE=itisjuly;44941254]He is also twice the citizen many are. It's not like he can vote for same party twice to skew the results or anything.[/QUOTE] But uh, he can? Do you not know how the EU is grouped into blocs and parties at a European level?
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.