Why a vote with conviction is useful
Blog, 07/06/2024, by Sven Franck
As I distributed flyers beginning of the week, I ran into one of the elder statesmen of the local greens. He was surprised to still seeing my running around with a pack of Volt flyers and told me: "Go home, it's not worth the effort." I wondered for a moment and then continued, because I wanted to cover my suburb before the end of the week and had about 5000 flyers left to distribute.
If it's not worth the effort why run at all?
There are 38 lists running in theses European elections. If you follow the campaign and polls, only 6 of them are them have a legit chance of passing the 5% threshold. Worse, the other 32 poll below 3% meaning their campaign expenses will not be reimboursed. We're talking parties with several million euro campaign budgets being lost. Yet, they are running, organising meetings, complaining about unfair media treatment and distributing their programmes and ideas. You could just say, it's not worth the effort, yet there are more lists than ever trying.
This is because their candidates believe in their ideas and projects just as I do. They see that these ideas are missing today in the political landscape and are, more often than not, sorely needed. Whether animal or digital rights or someone actually proposing a federal Europe like we do at Volt, there is need for political renewal and we're all fighting tooth and nail for every vote.
Challenging the status quo
As I see our other chapters making strides and getting elected, I could also just throw the towel and say, it's too difficult in France. Yet, we are running with Volt in the Coalition Europe-Territoires-Écologie. I'm on 7th place, so I could also say, I will never get elected, why make any effort, yet I'm campaigning my ass off, trying to drag our list forward and make Volt known. Why? Because if we only go by utility, things will never change. If we accept the status quo and their decisions, why do we protest and take to the streets? Change doesn't come from accepting there are no other options, but by stepping up and fighting for them to be heard.
This weekend Volt Europa is running in 15 countries. The Netherlands is close to 5% and has 1 MEP elected with a 2nd confirmed hopefully on sunday, while Volt Germany is polling at 3% and will hopefully have several MEPs elected on sunday. In 2019, both were outsiders, Volt Germany got lucky and Volt Nederland missed the cut, yet they continued to work for our common goals and today can rival with established parties.
Change doesn't happen overnight, it needs patience, perservance and a bit of luck. France will likely send 40% of deputies from the extreme right to the European Parliament - a testiment to established parties not knowing how to answer to extremists. Yes, a useful vote is to continue to support these parties, and accept the status quo. Then we can also just accept our next president and prime minister being Marine LePen and Jordan Bardella, because faced with 40%, it's not worth the effort.
A useful vote by conviction
France is known around the world as the country that fought for their liberty and freedom and since it's the anniversary of D-Day, I remind you that the world also fought for freedom and liberty here in France. The France of the past did not accept the status quo. Neither should the France today. If we want political change, we need to have new parties and a rebalancing of our political landscape.
If you consider yourself on the left of the political spectrum, with over 65% of electors voting for the right and extreme-right, any chance of change in 2027 will mean having to convince 20% of these electors to switch sides. They will have a hard time switching to a candidate from (dare I say) the Greens and Social Democrats in the shadow of LFI or with LFI in their shadow. A change has to pass by the center-left. A useful vote is not giving Rapahel Glucksmann a few more percent, but making sure Europe-Territoires-Écologie led by Guillaume Lacroix passes aswell, beause this list is building the center-left that can swoon electors.
A change also means putting Europe on the map in France. Volt is a European party with a common programme across all member states and after this weekend, likely the only mouvement to elect eurodeputies in multiple countries. We have deputies in Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Netherlands and hundres of local representatives all across Europe. We mean Europe and we want to advance the European project. A vote by conviction for Europe is one for a paneuropean vision instead of a national agenda for Europe and therefore also for the liste Europe-Territoires-Écologie which Volt is a part of.
I am myself lead candidate for Volt and 7th on our coalition list. I will make sure, Europe becomes more known in France over the next five years. I will need the bit of luck mentioned above to do so and am counting on your support.
This sunday, I will vote for Europe-Territoires-Écologie because because it's the only chance the left will have to build a majority in 2027 and because Volt France is part of it.
Thank you for your support.
