Make Your Mark: A Call to Action for Democracy and DiversityThis year marks a pivotal moment in history—the largest global call to vote since universal suffrage began. Elections though are not always the sign of a healthy democracy and this shows when we see that democracy has actually reached its lowest point at global level since 2006.In the same way, democracy does not always equal peace, since many countries which are democracies “on paper” are very much involved with conflicts, also armed ones. This happens because many of these democracies are defined as “flawed democracies”, meaning that they suffer from deep-rooted issues like low political engagement, underrepresentation of minorities enrolling and voting and governance challenges, despite upholding the basic aspects of free elections and civil libertiesEurope: A Beacon with ShadowsThis means that even though our European continent is often regarded as a beacon of peace and democracy all over the world, many of its countries present several issues that affect citizens’ rights and wellbeing.These are the heritage left by the colonial past that has never been truly faced and that still affects much of our narratives and history, fuelling discrimination and biases.Representation MattersIf we talk about “issues of participation” in fact, we’re talking about issues of REPRESENTATION. As an independent anti-racist, anti-nationalist-and ant-fascist Network in fact we keep our commitment in stressing inequalities and in empowering all voices.Your Voice, Your PowerFor this reason we want to call to our Network and to everybody to use this European Action Week Against Racism to start a true and meaningful mobilisation towards the next EU Parliamentary Election but also as an inspiration to monitor and to critically analyse the other elections happening all over the world, identifying those candidates and parties who oppose human rights and use propaganda and polarisation to spread hatred and divide people.Last week was the time of Russia, where the authoritarian regime managed to use elections to reinforce its oppressive power once again, erasing and eliminating any possible opposition; April will see elections happening in India, the most populated country in the world and November the big US elections that will inevitably influence all of us. That’s why we need to start focusing on what is closer and see the EU Elections as an opportunity to do better and to limit this authoritarian wave from spreading even further.Champion the UnderrepresentedFrom our side we can prevent this from happening especially by taking care of who is under and mis-represented in our cities, in our countries, in our societies. Minorities, migrants and refugees that have progressively been weaponised at every election, despite being absent or very lowly present in parliaments everywhere.This happens also because the right to citizenship and to vote is made exclusionary and restrictive in many places. This means that if you are among the people who can vote, this is your chance to make a difference.BE THE AGENT OF POSITIVE CHANGE, BE THE DEFENDER OF DEMOCRACY AND DIVERSITYAs UNITED Network, we’re spreading the word about racism and democracy. We’re not pushing to one party or the other but just calling out to not choose whoever candidate will push for discrimination and who doesn’t take into account the rights of all.To support our campaign you can choose one of our stands—or all of them—and make a statement. Share what your vote stands for! Vote for Humanity, Vote for Yourself, Vote UNITED!Remember, voting for human rights and diversity means voting for your own interests and those of your loved ones.So #stayunited and #voteforhumanityI VOTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS I VOTE FOR INTERSECTIONALITY I VOTE FOR DIVERSITY I VOTE FOR INCLUSION I VOTE FOR ANTIRACISM I VOTE FOR ANTIFASCISM I VOTE FOR ME I VOTE UNITED