At a frigid 1:33 AM on Monday, Szymon Szumniak, an entertainment blogger, found himself depositing his voting slip into a ballot box at Wroclaw Polling Station No 148. He had been part of a mammoth queue, braving the bitter cold for six long hours, well beyond the intended closing time of the polling station. This monumental line symbolized the immense engagement with Poland’s parliamentary election, which boasted an unprecedented voter turnout of over 74%, leading to the displacing of the right-wing Law and Justice Party from power.
In spite of the lengthy wait, the camaraderie of the queuing individuals was palpable. People generously shared blankets, hot tea, and cookies, narrates the 26-year-old blogger, touched by the incredible hospitality displayed by local residents enduring the long wait with him. At certain moments, women broke into song, and local pizza companies showered the crowd with free food, which led to a surge in donations so overwhelming that the pizza companies redirected the proceeds to charity the following day.
For Szymon, leaving the queue was never an option. He says, “We’re building our future and I think a lot of young people understood that.” He chose to keep his vote confidential but expressed satisfaction with the election’s outcome, saying “The queue was long and painful because it was so cold. But the people made it a cool experience.”
The final vote at Polling Station 148 was cast by Michal Wittenbeck, who captured the moment with a photograph of his wristwatch. The 2019 elections had seen 46.4% of voters below 29, which surged to 68.8% this year. An unexpected turn saw more young people casting their votes than individuals above 60 years.
Many young citizens sought a change, as evidenced by Jagodno, a modern neighborhood known for its young population. The opposition Civic Coalition emerged triumphant with 43.6% votes in their favor while PiS could only secure 5.9%. On the day of counting, students standing outside Warsaw’s University library anxiously waited for updates concerning the election between lectures.
The prospect of the Civic Coalition forging more cooperative relations with Brussels came as a beacon of hope, especially concerning the rule of law, LGBT rights, and migration fronts. Despite the unusually high turnout, there was a strategic push to ensure the opposition votes held weight. Campaigns encouraged voters to register out of larger cities, thereby enhancing their votes’ impacts within the complex Polish electoral system.
The advocacy for preserving the EU’s core values and women’s rights was a driving force in rallying the youth vote. A notable surge in women’s participation was evident, partly due to a near-ban on abortion, which had previously sparked significant protests. The coalition proposed terminations on demand up to 12 weeks, intending to overturn the tight restrictions imposed by the PiS government. This was interpreted by many as a welcome change, with activists lauding the forthcoming obligation on politicians to honor their mandate. “They got a mandate from society that wants this so I don’t know what else there is to discuss,” opined Anna Pieta, an instrumental figure in a social media campaign. “We put them there. Now it’s time to perform.”
