Wiener Pass no matter choice: More than 40 restaurants for voting rights without a pass!

Wiener Pass no matter choice: More than 40 restaurants for voting rights without a pass!

On March 27, 2025, the “Pass Nah Wahl” initiative of the SOS Mismensch association started in Vienna, which is aimed at people without a Austrian passport. This project is supported by various cooperation partners: inside and offers more than 40 polling stations in the city. The election period extends to April 23, which shows a practical opportunity for many people who are otherwise excluded from political processes.

In particular in Viennese schools, 30 “Pass no matter elections” are planned, which underlines the importance of political participation. The AK President Renate Anderl critically notes that over a third of the population entitled to vote in Vienna is excluded in voting. This is particularly alarming, since among the workers: about two thirds of the workers have no right to vote.

Criticism of the exclusion and deficits in democracy

A look at the statistics reveals that 81.4 % of the cleaning staff and 78.2 % of the auxiliary powers are also not allowed to vote in food preparation. In addition, over 51 % of employees in the area of ​​personal services in Vienna have no voting rights. These realities of life illustrate a significant legitimation, representation and democratic deficit in the city.

Democratic researchers Gerd Valchars describes democracy in Vienna as "in an imbalance", a fact that actress Safira Robens also denounces. She criticizes the exclusion of people with residence in Vienna of the election of what gives the demand from SOS Mismensch for improved access to Austrian citizenship and an end to the right to vote to citizenship.

an international comparison

In an international context, it can be stated that there have been around 30 countries worldwide for 50 years that grant foreign residents a right to vote. These regulations can be found primarily in Europe and Latin America. In Germany, only EU citizens have the right to participate in local elections and elections to the European Parliament, while foreign nationals from third countries are excluded. This regulation is contrasted by the fact that about 8.2 % of the population in Germany are third -country nationals without voting rights.

The debates about the right to vote in Germany have been active since the late 1970s, with various parliamentary initiatives failing. In the late 1980s, several attempts were made to expand the right to vote on foreign nationals - however, the initiatives remained unsuccessful. One of the central questions remains whether the Basic Law, which uses the term "people", should only be applied to German citizens or all people living in Germany.

The challenges vary depending on the federal state, with Schleswig-Holstein in 1990, for example, with a municipal right to vote for foreigners, the legal framework determined the legal framework, which, however, remains controversial. In Bremen there were even attempts to review the judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court in 2014 in order to enable foreign residents more political participation.

For more information about the polling stations, reference is made at www.passegal election.at.