Democracy is the heart of Danish society. It is strongly embedded in many aspects of daily life and celebrated on June 5 with speeches and reflections. It is demonstrated by 80%+ voting percentages at the local and regional elections (even without mandatory voting). In your path to understanding Denmark, a great pitstop could be to volunteer in a voting section. You will get to spend a whole day with Danes and see your entire neighborhood in a single day. Great for networking, great for visibility, great for democracy.
- How? There are various roles in a voting section: showing citizens where to take the voting ballot; ensuring voting booths are secure; giving ballots to citizens; and so on. The political parties that are participating can nominate the people who can be in the voting section. If you are not a member of a party, you can send a message to any party in your neighborhood and ask if you can volunteer on their behalf.
- But I can’t speak Danish fluently! That’s okay. First of all, this is the European Parliament elections, so internationals with an EU background will also be able to vote, which means a lot of people who don’t speak Danish will be voting. They will need at least one good English speaker in the voting section. Remind them of that.
- Why do it? Do it for yourself, your growth, and network. Do it for us! Show the Danish community that we are just as involved in democracy; ensure that the voting section puts up bilingual signs so that people know where and how to vote; and use this as a stepping stone to enter the world of decision-making in Denmark.
