Strengthening Local Democracy through Voter Participation, Hanover, Germany, 30 June 2026
- Tessy Melidi
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
How can local and regional authorities increase voter turnout and make democratic participation more inclusive? These questions were at the heart of the ProVote partner meeting hosted by the Hanover Region on 30 of June 2026 bringing together representatives of local and regional governments, European project partners, civil society organisations and democracy experts from across Europe.
The event opened with welcome remarks by Cordula Drautz, Vice President of the Region of Hanover, and Nicolas Reynès from Partenalia.
“Strong local democracy depends on the active participation of all citizens,” said Cordula Drautz. “By sharing experiences across Europe, we can develop more inclusive and effective approaches that encourage people to take part in democratic processes.”
Three keynote speeches addressed key challenges for modern democracies:
Ernesto Nebot Pomar, the EU-Ambassador for the Hanover region, (acting on behalf of Cordula Drautz), pointed to the region's success in increasing voter turnout for European elections. At the same time, in his view, the main problem lies in the way politics communicates its work to the public. Extremist parties are more successful than established parties at reaching specific target audiences via social media.
Pauline Hofmann, an expert of „inklusiv“, who delivered the second keynote speech, highlighted the importance of accessible participation in elections and democratic processes, using easy language.
Türkân Deniz-Roggenbuck, Board Member of amfn e.V. described in her keynote speech, how to address migrant communities to engender trust in democratice processes using practical tools in order to minimize the digital threat avoiding extreme political positions from filling the gaps.
The interactive workshop session enabled participants to exchange experiences and develop practical recommendations on the three core topics: youth participation, barrier-free voting, and strengthening engagement with migrant communities. The discussions focused on successful local participation formats that can help make democratic processes more inclusive and accessible.
In the afternoon, partners from the Provincial Councils of Barcelona and Castellón presented examples of good practices from their regions. Next, Nicolas Reynès, provided an overview of key findings from the PROVote Project, based on questionnaire responses across several European countries.
The conference concluded with closing remarks by Nicolas Reynès reaffirming the shared commitment of all partners to strengthening local democracy through greater citizen participation. Participants continued their exchange during a guided tour of Hanover and an evening networking dinner, further reinforcing international cooperation and the exchange of innovative ideas.
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