Where and why can expatriates vote in regional elections? A comparative analysis of regional electoral practices in Europe and North America
Jean-Thomas Arrighi De Casanova & Jean-Michel Lafleur
| Résumé |
The article constitutes the first systematic attempt to survey and
account for the enfranchisement of non-resident citizens in
regional elections. Shifting the focus away from the state to the
regional demos, it is divided into two parts. First, it examines
whether the spectacular horizontal diffusion of external voting
legislation widely observed in existing scholarship has also spread
vertically to regional elections, through a comparative overview of
the conditions of eligibility to the regional franchise in 292
American and European regions. The remarkable diversity of regional
electoral arrangements both within and across states calls for a
more in-depth explanatory analysis of the ‘micro-foundations of
diaspora policy’ in specific regions. The second part thus compares
two negative cases, Flanders and Scotland, where expanding the
franchise to expatriates has been seriously considered and yet
ultimately failed. It goes on to examine the frustrated outcome in
the light of three dimensions of the political opportunity
structure: whether the region has the power to alter the
composition of the demos (self-determination powers), the expected
electoral gains and losses among political parties within the
regional party system (electoral interests), and the
(in)compatibility of extending the suffrage to expatriates with the
pursuit of autonomy goals (self-determination aims). |
| Mots-clés |
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| Citation | Arrighi de Casanova, J. T., & Lafleur, J. M. (2019). Where and why can expatriates vote in regional elections? A comparative analysis of regional electoral practices in Europe and North America. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 45(4), 517-538. |
| Type | Article de périodique (Anglais) |
| Date de publication | 1-1-2019 |
| Nom du périodique | Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies |
| Volume | 45 |
| Numéro | 4 |
| Pages | 517-538 |
| URL | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.201... |