Malta’s Electoral Roll Glitch: Citizenship Renunciation Fails to Remove Voters
Man Stuck on Electoral Roll After Renouncing Maltese Citizenship
Imagine this: You’ve made the decision to renounce your Maltese citizenship, turned in your passport, and bid farewell to your homeland. But years later, you find out you’re still on the electoral roll, eligible to vote in a country you no longer call home. This is the peculiar situation that 53-year-old Joseph Borg finds himself in.
From Malta to Australia
Joseph Borg left Malta for Australia in 1991, eventually settling in Melbourne. In 2012, he decided to renounce his Maltese citizenship. He went through the official process, handed in his passport, and thought that was the end of it. But as they say, “not so fast.”
Years later, Borg received a letter from the Maltese Electoral Commission. He was still registered to vote. “I was shocked,” he told Hot Malta. “I thought I had done everything correctly. I even got a certificate of renunciation.”
Caught in the System
Borg isn’t alone. There are others like him, scattered across the globe, still registered to vote in Malta despite having renounced their citizenship. The reason? A glitch in the system, or rather, a lack of communication between different government departments.
When a Maltese citizen renounces their citizenship, their name is removed from the National Registry. However, this information isn’t automatically shared with the Electoral Commission. As a result, these individuals remain on the electoral roll until they’re manually removed.
This issue has been raised with the authorities, but the process of removing these names from the electoral roll is slow and cumbersome. “It’s like trying to change the course of a supertanker with a rowboat,” a source within the Electoral Commission told Hot Malta, speaking on condition of anonymity.
What’s Being Done?
In response to these concerns, the Electoral Commission has stated that they’re working on improving the system. “We’re looking into ways to automate the process of removing these names,” a spokesperson told Hot Malta. “But it’s a complex issue that involves different government departments.”
In the meantime, Borg and others like him are left in limbo. “I don’t want to vote in Malta,” Borg says. “I haven’t lived there in decades. I just want to be removed from the electoral roll.”
So, what’s the solution? Better communication between government departments? A more streamlined process for removing names from the electoral roll? Or perhaps a way for individuals to check if they’re still registered to vote in Malta? Whatever the case, it’s clear that something needs to be done to address this issue.
If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, or if you have any information that could help shed light on this issue, please don’t hesitate to contact Hot Malta. We’re here to keep you informed and to help make a difference.
Next time you’re walking down Republic Street in Valletta, take a moment to think about Joseph Borg and the others like him. They’ve turned their backs on Malta, but Malta hasn’t quite turned its back on them.
