23Received 18.03.2024. Revised 23.05.2024. Accepted 09.07.2024.
Abstract. The article analyses the electoral participation of non-citizens of third countries residing in the member states of the European Union in the context of the integration policy of immigrants. The aim of the work is to assess the level of participation of non-citizens from third countries in municipal elections, depending on the degree of electoral inclusion in European states. Examples of countries with different systems of granting active voting rights to non-naturalised immigrants are Sweden, Finland, Belgium and Luxembourg. In order to achieve this goal, a theoretical and conceptual basis for the study, built upon the theory of integration of immigrants through participation, was formulated, and the participation rate of non-citizens from third countries in the municipal legislatures of Sweden, Finland, Belgium and Luxembourg was examined. Nowadays, in a number of European states, voting rights are an instrument of integration policy, as increased electoral opportunities for non-citizens of third countries in municipal elections encourage their inclusion in the host society. At the same time, by providing the opportunity to vote, governments have introduced additional implicit exclusion mechanisms that, in the context of discrimination, xenophobia and language problems, significantly reduce the participation of unnaturalized immigrants. As a result, three “ideal” types of access systems for non-naturalised immigrants from third countries to municipal elections have emerged within the European Union: exclusive, partially inclusive and inclusive. Among the countries surveyed, Sweden is one of the most inclusive, with the highest turnout of non-citizens from third countries. Finland, Belgium and Luxembourg have partially inclusive systems that imply institutional and symbolic barriers to participation. Participation in these countries is lower than in Sweden, and the more restrictive the system, the lower the participation rates. Thus, the voter turnout and degree of integration into the host society of the social group surveyed were lower in countries with a less inclusive electoral system. In states with varying degrees of electoral inclusion, non-citizens’ participation in elections has increased over time, but they continue to be inferior to naturalised immigrants and birthright citizens, while the acquisition of citizenship is a key tool for their integration into the political system of the recipient society. As such, voting rights cannot stimulate integration; a systemic integration policy, additional incentives for participation, information and advertising campaigns are needed.
Keywords: immigration, electoral participation, non-citizens from third countries, immigrant integration policy, voting rights, European Union
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