In connection with the electoral reforms of automatic enrollment and voluntary vote, recently approved in the Senate, and reforms to the project to vote for Chileans abroad, should be regulated according to the existing objective reality.
1 .- On the outside, living around 860,000 Chileans, in equal percentages of men and women. Of this population, only 489,000 (56.9%) were born in Chile . The 371,000 (43.1%) remaining are children of Chilean father or mother, born abroad, who for "the exercise of rights under the citizenship (voting rights) is subject to which they have been avencidados in Chile for more than a year ." (Art. 13, para 3, Constitution of Chile)
2 .- Respectively, the Chilean population living in Argentina is about 430,000 people. This population is 50% of the 860,000 Chileans living abroad. population of 430,000 Chileans in Argentina , only 211,000 were born in Chile . The remaining 219,000 are children born in Argentina and there is no data to confirm that arrangements have been made Chilean, so you do not possess current Chilean identity card or comply with the requirement of live a year in Chile to exercise their right to vote.
3 .- Therefore, to apply the electoral registration automatic , understand the 489,000 Chileans living abroad born in Chile, of which more than 211,000 correspond to residents in Argentina. (approximate data, INE-Chile, 2004).
4 .- However, of these, about 55,000 (according to our measurements) / 70,000 (according to National Renewal) already voters is ie citizens, because they voluntarily enrolled in the electoral rolls in Chile in the past.
5 .- These Chileans live mostly in cities bordering Chile Argentina (Mendoza, Neuquen, Bariloche, Zapala, Santa Cruz, etc.) and registered in the electoral rolls of their home towns, they have major drawbacks in going to vote for their respective districts in Chile at election time. Some go and come back in the day of the vote, while others are organized into groups and travel in groups for the weekend of the election.
6 .- These citizens exercising their right to vote regularly, in the same manner as a Chilean living in Easter Island, Juan Fernandez Archipelago, Antártica Chilena, or in any electoral district or senatorial district. The only difference is similar to cases where the citizen moves from one place to another country, when they made the change of constituency for change of address.
7 .- In the event that the voting restriction Chileans abroad to vote at the Consulates , exclusively for President of the Republic not by deputies and senators (as stipulated projects pending in Congress), these 50,000 / 70,000 electors residing in Argentina, will not change their registration to vote in the consulates of their jurisdiction, refused to vote for deputies and senators. As they have done so far, will continue to travel the country for elections, according to his abilities.
8 .- Moreover, the automatic voter registration will increase the electoral roll to about 211,000 Chileans living in Argentina, in possession of valid National Identity Card and able to travel to Chile to vote whenever there is election.
9 .- While this would be an advantage for Chilean residents in Argentina, for its proximity to Chile, it will continue to discriminate and exclude those Chileans living in distant countries and those voters who do not have economic resources to travel to vote in their respective constituencies in the country.
10 .- In order to prevent such discrimination and exclusion, should opt for a real method of application and consistent with the universal inclusion of Chileans living abroad without curtailing the full right to vote, that violates constitutional guarantees of equality before the law and causing the existence of Chileans from different categories and rights.
11 .- Based on the current Electoral Register or Log and applied reform automatic voter registration, the procedure should be extended change of address for those voters who do not fit the designated precinct, according to Article 54 of Law No. 18,556, the Constitutional Organic Registration of Electoral System and Electoral Service.
12 .- Thus, a citizen automatically enrolled in the district of Talcahuano and residing in San Antonio, you can change of address to the latter city, if it fits, not to travel to vote in the first. This voter does not lose or modify their right to vote, to elect the President of the Republic, deputy of his district and Senator of the constituency where they reside.
13. Similarly, the city automatically enrolled Tome and living in Madrid, could change of address to the Consulate its jurisdiction, to vote on that site and choose the President of the Republic, Deputy of the 45th District and Senator of the 12 th. District of the Bío Bío Region VIII.
14 .- However, the city automatically enrolled in the district of Temuco and Zapala resident may choose to change of address to the Consulate of Neuquén and vote there on the day the election, if it fits. Or, keep the designated registration and travel to Temuco for election day by covering there, to elect the President of the Republic, Deputy for the 50 th District Senator of Temuco and the 15 th District. of the IX Region of La Araucanía, just as you would in the Consulate General of Chile in Neuquén, applying the process of change of address.
15 .- The change of address is a personal process, as the Chilean living abroad - in possession of their National Identity Card in force - will be done in the respective Consulate of your jurisdiction. This resolves the concerns of some sectors opposed to the suffrage of Chileans abroad about that "These people must demonstrate their interest and concern for national issues and real link with the country . This national bond be accredited by the vote and the process prior to implementation, that citizens abroad should be carried out in the consulates, which are territory and national institutions, with the same procedures and standards in any electoral district country.
16 - Chile's consular officers should inform the Electoral Service that changes of address handled, an issue it draw the electoral roll of Chilean residents abroad, with the formation of the respective polling places according to consular districts and jurisdictions. (See Study in Argentina, FedACH - CIC, 1997 ).
17 .- The Electoral Service should develop special ballots for voters living abroad can vote for Deputies and Senators from their respective Districts Senate Electoral and Boundaries, in Consulate of their jurisdiction. If the election for President of the Republic will use the same card in Chile, according to Article 25 of Law No. 18,700, the Constitutional Organic Law on Voting and Elections.
18 .- The Electoral Service is able to implement this procedure for voting on the outside, efficiently and smoothly because they have studied the processes and systems in other countries exercising suffrage of their nationals abroad for several years. And besides, have demonstrated excellence in all elections occurred in these 20 years of democratic process, since the plebiscite of October 5, 1988.
19 .- We share this perception of the Electoral Service, by exposure to present his representative in the Conference for the Right to Vote in Exterio Chilean r, organized FedACH, with the sponsorship and participation of the University Academy of Christian Humanism and the Committee on Human Rights, Nationality and Citizenship H. Chamber of Deputies, in January 2007 in Santiago de Chile.
Santiago, January 15, 2009 .-
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