Should vote the people that not live in Colombia?

kat1 (Moderator) says on Feb 9, 2005, 12:43:

Our lives begins to end the day we become silent about things that matter. (DR Martin Luther King Jr)

engage brain before opening mouth

Lionheart says on Feb 9, 2005, 13:01:

dual citizenship It can be very tricky to vote either way, the laws vary and may contradict for each nation. If you also have US citizenship look up the voting laws for other nationalities. I wasn't allowed to vote in Germany or join the German military 25 years ago (it might have changed) but I was allowed to be drafted, since my permanent residence was in Germany. You wouldn't want to loose your US citizenship for these lesser known details. If you are younger, also verify if you have lived on US soil long enough. Of course, similar laws might apply to any other nationality as well.

sandramoreno80 says on Feb 9, 2005, 13:19:

Does this mean that upon leaving the country, you refrain from being a citizen of that said country? My parents left in the mid seventies to come here to England and were given their "indefinite leave to remain" status in 1979, but they chose not to take citizenship and have remained Colombian passport holders ever since.

They feel just as Colombian as ever and it was mainly due to apathy that they never did vote at the Colombian Presidential elections and also inconveniance, you have to go up to London and register your identity papers there and then go back on election day and hope that you don't have to go again if there is a second round.

During the last elections my dad did make the effort and my sister and I also voted (we have dual nationality) and if we get the chance to vote on the reelection issue we will take the time to do so.

Your ties do not die just because you are out of the country, all my family lives there and you want the best for them, you want peace and safety when you go over there, you want a good future for your little cousins and their families and maybe possibly for yourself. And you have as much right as any other cedula holder to want that.

As a note, my parents as non-UK/Irish passport holders can not vote here in the UK at the General Elections but I believe they can for local ones.

utopiacowboy says on Feb 9, 2005, 14:16:

I guess you want to punish any Colombian who has the nerve to leave Colombia. While you're at it, why don't you just strip them of their citizenship?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

jccg says on Feb 9, 2005, 14:26:

utopia... please don't make me laugh! Only write if you have something serious to say, please.

I say, in a democracy you have the right to participate in the ruling of your comunity, not ruling others comunities.
I think that if someone is going to live in a country for four or more years, he must have the right to participate... equal, if you do not live in a comunity for most than 4 years, you are not affected by the good or bad goverment such comunity would have, so you must not have any power over that comunity.

sandramoreno80, in the other hand, has a very interesting point about caring of others in her post. However, decide over others is disrespect their right to rule themselfs.

In her case, I think her parents must be more interested in their actual comunity that in their relatives comunity.

This is just the true!!

Lionheart says on Feb 9, 2005, 14:49:

it is all about money I have many German relatives in the USA, some have been living here sonce the 60s and kept their German citizenship. My 1st ex as well. If you asked them about their nationality ... I am German! and they put on an insulted face. I have heard the same from Italians.

Well, when they were risking to loose their social security you should have seen them run, denounce their original citizenship, and become good US citizens. All balony to me when you talk about national pride. If you are that proud, you stay in your country.

juancegomez says on Feb 9, 2005, 14:50:

To the point: in my opinion, expatriates in general should have a right to vote in their country's elections, whether they are from Colombia, Iraq or Antartica.

Lionheart says on Feb 9, 2005, 15:20:

I agree juancegomez If you are an expatriate you should be able to vote. I believe most nations allow that anyway. All you need to do is sign up at your closest consulate/embassy and you can mail in your vote there. There are many reasons why you may not be in your country during elections. Look at the US soldiers in Iraq. Or you could be working on an engineering project in India. Or you are married to a person of a different nationality.

jack73534 says on Feb 9, 2005, 15:27:

seams strange to me Seams strange to me just because I live there I would get to vote. Also someone said something about serving in German army. I think the U.S. Army will help you become a U.S. citizen if yor join.

Lionheart says on Feb 9, 2005, 15:33:

I served in the German army As German citizen you get drafted, and the US laws permit that as US citizen as long as you live in a NATO country. But I am not allowed to enlist in the military or attend national elections. If I go and vote as German citizen the chances are slim of getting caught by the USA, but there is a risk.

jccg says on Feb 9, 2005, 16:09:

"If you are an expatriate you should be able to vote" I am not sure if I understan well when you say "expatriate", but I think it is diferent if you are representing the goverment (like does the army and ambassadors), then you are not "living" in other country, you are there as a representant. But when you leave your natal country to live in other plase, you are changing the comunity of wich you are a member.

"All balony to me when you talk about national pride. If you are that proud, you stay in your country"

I agree. If someone wants to vote because he/she is a patriot, why he/she not live in his/her native country?.

Ps: I am not a patriot, I think that if someone wants to find his/her hapiness in another country, it is his/her human right.
Actually, as soon as I can, I will have my word citizen passport

http://www.worldgovernment.org/

This is just the true!!

utopiacowboy says on Feb 9, 2005, 19:40:

I was absolutely serious, jccg. It seems to me that the motivation for this would be to retaliate against those Colombians who left. Mexico recently changed its laws to permit expatriates to vote in their elections.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

silviat says on Feb 9, 2005, 20:24:

I dont agree wth you jccg I dont think the fact that you've leave your country means that you are less patriot.

Theres many different reasons to leave, either they are emotional, profesional, economical, who knows.

Anyway I have to say I've never feel more Colombian than since I left Colombia, and I've never feel more involved with my country's issues than since I am out and I cant actually see an wider view of the reality.

So about your "I agree. If someone wants to vote because he/she is a patriot, why he/she not live in his/her native country?" I have to say that the fact that a person chosed to live outside of his/her country isnt related to how patriotic or not that person is... theres many factors that can lead a colombian to leave thier country and that doesnt have anything to do with that persons patriotism.

julito says on Feb 9, 2005, 22:32:

interesting topic My opinion would be vote in the place that you live in, but not in the place you don’t live in, because if you vote for somebody in a place where you don’t live in it most likely will not affect you but it will affect people living there.

Somebody said their parents have not live in Colombia for about 20 years, well for what I understand they are not Colombian citizens any longer but they are still Colombian nationals (don’t know what the difference is, but that is what the law over there say) in fact any Colombian born outside the country is not a citizen until this person establish residency in Colombia for about 2 years, then this person becomes a citizen.

Colombian laws are really strange for some definitions some times