Patrick Breyer and Pirate Party lose EU Parliament seats - Stack Diary
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In the wake of the recent European Parliament elections, the Pirate Party has lost its representation in the legislative body. This outcome was confirmed by Patrick Breyer, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and a prominent figure within the Pirate Party. Breyer, known for his staunch opposition to chat control measures, expressed deep concern over the implications of this

Patrick Breyer, a staunch defender of digital rights, laments the Pirate Party’s exit from the EU Parliament as a blow to online privacy.

  • NekuSoulEnglish
    3•5 months ago

    Wait, am I missing something here? Are there countries where you don’t have all options on the ballot, or at least an empty space?

    Edit: Saw your explanation in another comment. Wouldn’t having to bring your own ballot also invalidate voting secrecy, since bringing your own indicates that you most likely intent to vote for an unlisted party (and, in reverse, anyone using the regular ballot voting for a party that’s listed)?

    • @[email protected]English
      2•5 months ago

      Concerning your edit, not sure about other countries, but I can speak about the process in France.

      We get (normally) ballots with the programs in the mail before the elections, so we can also bring ballots from there. Then the way it works when voting is

      • there’s a table with ballots from all lists that provided them (so missing the ones we’re talking about here) and you can take any number of them
      • then you go isolate in a cabin where you put the ballot you want, or nothing, inside an envelope
      • finally your identity is verified, your vote is counted and you put your envelope in a transparent box

      So there’s not really a way to definitely know you’re voting for an unlisted candidate here.

    • @[email protected]English
      1•5 months ago

      It affects secrecy a bit but you still have to take at least two different ballots into the voting booth. Obviously you are bringing your own ballot and taking one already printed so it’s not really a secret.

      Also there was taped garbage bags in the voting booth so that people can throw away their discarded ballots but that’s also a great way to show what every else has been voting before me…

      I still think our voting system is quite ok but there are definitely flaws.