Italians Head to the Polls to Vote on Game-Changing Citizenship and Labor Laws

In a critical time in the history of Italian democracy, millions of voters across Italy cast their votes today on two questions related to referendums that are highly contested and could change the course of the future of the country one concerning easing immigration rules for citizenship and another on the reform of a variety of antiquated labor laws.

Citizenship Law Reform:
Voters are being asked if children born in Italy to foreigners should be granted automatic citizenship, called “jus soli” (right of soil). Under present law, these children, called the “invisible Italians,” have to wait until they turn 18 years of age and undergo a bureaucratic process to gain future citizenship rights, even if they have lived their whole lives in Italy.

Rethinking Labor Laws:
The second referendum seeks to repeal the controversial Job Acts of 2015, which had given greater flexibility to employers in hiring and firing. Critics say they weakened workers’ protections and increased job precarity. Any changes would potentially reinforce protections for long term employment, and most significantly improve conditions for gig economy and contract-based work.

The referendums have elicited a strong response from the political landscape in Italy:

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her rightest coalition seeing such as Brothers of Italy – objected to both reforms as “dangerous” stating that they could hurt public services levels more than they already are and threaten growth.

The Democratic Party (PD) and the progressive Five Star Movement support the referendums, referring to them as issues of justice and economic dignity.

Matteo Renzi, the leader of the centrist Italia Viva and a former Prime Minister, endorsed the labour reform but has remained neutral on the citizenship issue.

Analysts suggest that the results could also impact Italy’s 2026 general elections and set the stage for broader debates at a European level in the context of immigration and labor.
Human rights organizations estimate that over 900,000 children and teenagers in Italy are impacted by the current citizenship rules, and many are restricted from travel, employment, or even applying for scholarships.

In Milan and Naples, thousands of gig workers, food delivery couriers, freelance cleaners, and drivers have unionized and taken to the streets in favor of the labor referendum. Labor statistics show that over 23% of young Italian workers are employed temporarily or on a freelance basis, commonly without healthcare, pensions, or legal safeguards.

Local time polls close at 11 PM. The preliminary results should arrive early on Tuesday morning. Both referendum votes need to exceed 50% in turnout to be valid. This is a constitutional requirement in Italy. If the referendums pass, they will require the government to enact legislation in a prescribed time frame. If the turnouts are too low, it doesn’t matter how many votes “yes.”

Political observers note that too frequently, a low turnout renders invalid, before a first vote, what could have been groundbreaking reforms in previous referendums.

The vote occurring today is more than a legal process. It is a reflection of the character of a nation wrestling with modern identity, inclusivity, and economic justice. Regardless of whether it delivers progressive change or simply more political obstruction, Italy’s decisions today will reverberate across Europe and shape a generation.

Keep reading questeuro

About The Author