Romania

​New article in the journal Migration Studies analyses why migrants vote from abroad in elections in countries of origin, based on 80 interviews with Polish and Romanian migrants in Barcelona and Oslo. Whereas analyses of external voting patterns offer insights into the results of external voting compared to origin populations, there is a lacuna of knowledge about why migrants choose to vote, or not, when they have the right to do so. 

​Why do migrants vote? How do they compare countries of origin and residence? This new PRIO paper summarizes findings from 80 semi-structured interviews and offers insights from Polish and Romanian migrants living in Barcelona and Oslo. These interviews were conducted as part of the DIASPOlitic project “Understanding the Political Dynamics of Émigré Communities in an Era of European Democratic Backsliding”. The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway and led by the University of Oslo, in collaboration with SWPS University in Warsaw and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

Why do migrants want vote in country of origin elections? Do they seek to drive change? And what are the reasons why some migrants also feel they ought not to have the right to vote in their origin contexts? Through 80 semi-structured interviews with Polish and Romanian migrants in Barcelona and Oslo the DIASPOLitic team sought to find out.