Between 6 and 9 June 2024, over 370 million people in 27 Member States will be called to the polls to vote on the European elections. To emphasize the importance of voting and safeguarding democracy, the European Parliament launched a communication campaign under the motto "Use your vote." Or someone else will decide for you”.
At the center of the campaign is the 4-minute documentary "Use your voice", which presents the stories of older Europeans about their personal experiences of turning points in the history of Europe and their messages of democracy to the generations that come after them. The participants in the documentary are European adults from 10 member states of the European Union. They are people who have lived long enough to see the world change fundamentally. They have experienced the power of democracy that has influenced their lives - either because they have lived without it at some point, or because they have experienced its fragility in different ways.
„Today, democracy in the European Union is more important than ever. Your vote will determine the direction of Europe in the next five years. It will decide what kind of Europe we want to live in," said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mezzola. “Don't let anyone choose for you, vote on June 6—9, 2024. Every vote counts”.
The European Union faces ever-changing challenges. As the June 2024 elections approach, the European Parliament reaffirms its commitment to promoting dialogue, unity and active citizenship. The message “Use your voice. Or someone else will decide for you" strongly reminds that democracy is a precious heritage that must be preserved and protected by all.
„Democracy is a collective responsibility – not to a political idea or a specific cause, but to each other," said European Parliament spokesperson Jauma Duc. “European democracy unites us stronger than we think: beyond national borders, political biases and generations. In the polarized times we live in, this can easily be forgotten and our campaign aims to remind us of what unites us.“
In the European Union, democracy may seem obvious to us today. But this was not always the case. Not so long ago, millions of Europeans lived through times when they could not vote or even speak freely, when their lives could be in danger simply because they were different, because they believed differently, or because they wanted a different life.
More than half of eligible voters (50.6%) voted in the 2019 European elections. The spring 2024 Eurobarometer survey, which covered over 26,000 respondents in all countries – EU member states, showed that 60% of Europeans are interested in the elections on 6–9 June 2024, which is eleven points more than in the spring of 2019 (three months before the previous European elections). Additionally, 71% say they are likely to vote – again by 10 percentage points more than last time.
The findings also show that four out of five Europeans agree that “voting is important to keep democracy strong” (81%) and that “voting is important to ensure a better future for the next generations” (84%). Eight out of ten Europeans (81%) think that the vote is even more important given the current geopolitical situation.