Luxembourg's Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region has reported that foreign voter registration for the municipal (local) elections this June rose by 28% in March 2023.
Due to the amendment of the electoral law in 2022, non-Luxembourgish residents having lived in the Grand Duchy for less than five years now also have the right to vote in the municipal elections. In May 2022, the ministry and its partners launched the awareness campaign "I Can Vote" with the aim of informing non-Luxembourgish residents of their right to vote in the elections on Sunday 11 June 2023 and the need to register by Monday 17 April 2023 at 17:00.
In order to follow the evolution of registrations on the electoral rolls, the ministry is working together with the Government IT Centre (CTIE) to obtain statistics on the registrations broken down by certain individual characteristics and by municipality of residence. The most recent statistics reflect the situation as of Thursday 30 March 2023.
By 30 March, 41,336 non-Luxembourgish residents had registered, i.e. 16.1% of more than 257,000 eligible voters. Over one month, registrations increased by 28.4% (up from 32,197 as of 28 February 2023). A significant increase in registrations was observed in March 2023, with 9,139 new registrations validated (compared to 2,206 in February 2023 and 1,337 in January 2023).
In absolute figures, the number of foreign voter registrations has surpassed that of 2017 (34,638).
The ministry noted that the "I Can Vote" campaign was intensified between the end of February and the end of March 2023, with awareness-raising and information events in fifteen companies and institutions employing a significant number of non-Luxembourgish residents. At these events, Luxembourg's Minister for Family Affairs and Integration, Corinne Cahen, explained the voting system in Luxembourg, how the elections of 11 June will be conducted and the possibilities of postal voting. She also stressed the importance of participating in the democratic process and making one's voice heard at the local level. According to the ministry, a national registration day (18 March) also contributed to a substantial increase in the rate of registration, with over 1,000 registrations spread across all participating municipalities.
The aim of these statistics is to be able to identify groups of residents where registration rates remain low and where strengthened information and awareness-raising efforts are needed.
