Excused from voting

[franceslievens]

Today a new federal parliament is chosen in Belgium. Sitting in the rain in St.-Andrews I won't vote this time round. Being abroad is one of the few cases that gets you excused from doing your democratic dury – together with being ill or having to work. P. is even excused on two ocasions: not only is he abroad, he's at work at the moment, because he's attending (and speaking at) a congres. Had we been in Belgium he wouldn't have been able to vote anyway or I would have cast the vote for him.
I could have gone that route, and looked up whether I could vote at the embassy or by mail, but I decided against it. I will let this one pass me by, but my democratic conscious nags a bit.