Register to Vote
Why should I vote?
You have until the 31st of December 2014 to register to vote in the municiple elections of 2015.
The "illegal" homes situation is a political issue. You can make it YOUR mayors political issue by registering to vote in the municipal elections. We cannot complain that we are not happy with a particular situation if we do not engage in the political process necessary to change it.
When do I have the right to vote in Spain?
You have the right to vote in Municipal Elections in Spain
As a foreigner, you can vote in Spain’s municipal elections if you are a citizen of the European Union AND registered on the padrón in your local municipality.
You have the right to vote in European Parliamentary Elections in Spain
You can vote in Spain’s European Parliamentary elections if you’re a citizen of the European Union AND registered on the padrón in your local municipality.
How to register
Complete a voter registration form CERE-DFA-1 (Censo Electoral de Ciudadanos de la UE, no españoles, residentes).
The information entered must match the information on your padrón certificate.
Print two copies of your voter registration form, fill them in and take them to your town hall along with your padrón certificate and your passport.
Ask for one copy to be stamped as proof of receipt.
How long does it take to process your registration
Your council is required by law1 to provide monthly updates of additions and amendments to the electoral register to the electoral census office.
Deadlines for Registration
The Deadline for registration is the 31st December 2014
However, all is not lost. During the month of January 2015 you can declare your desire to vote in the local elections in Spain by filling in a RECLAMACION (adjustment) to the Censo Electoral using form REC-1 and presenting it in your town hall with appropriate identification.
From the 1st of February 2015 you must wait until the electoral reclaim period (4th to 11th of April) to complete from MO3-1 stating your desire to vote in the municipal elections.
Confirming that you are registered to vote
Allow two to three months after registration before checking your entry. We stronglly recommend that you do this.
By law2 you can check that your details are on the electoral census by making an enquiry at your town hall at any time. Bring your passport and padrón certificate as proof of identify.
In our experience it can sometimes be difficult to do this. Therefore, we have confirmed your right to check you registration at any time with both the office of the Censo Electoral and the Ministry of the Interior.
If you are not on the register
If you do not appear on the registry, produce your stamped receipt of application and ask for an explanation. Re-register if necessary.
If your registration details are incorrect
If you are on the voting register but you have changed address or your details are otherwise incorrect, you need to complete an electoral census amendment form REC-1 (Reclamación al censo electoral). A blank form is available here.
The information entered must match the information on your padrón certificate.
Print two copies of your amendment form, fill them in and take them to your town hall along with your padrón certificate, your passport AND your residencia certificate3.
Ask for one copy to be stamped as proof of receipt.
What happens at election time?
Confirming that you are registered to vote during an election period
The cut-off point for the electoral census and the rules for amending it are regulated by law (The Organic Law for the General Election Regime (LOREG), Articles 39-40).
For each election the Electoral Census ‘in force’ is used. This is the one closed on the first day of the month prior to the calling of elections.
Town councils are obliged to have a query service relating to the ‘in force’ electoral lists in their respective municipalities for a period of eight days, starting from the sixth day following the notification of the election. Queries may be made electronically, when the interested party can be identified, or via the displaying to the public of electoral lists if there are not enough electronic means to deal with the queries.
If you have a problem
If your census details are incorrect or missing you can request a correction within the eight day period described above by filling in an electoral census amendment form ELEC.5/MO3-1 (Reclamación en periodo electoral). A blank form is available here.
Print two copies of your amendment form, fill them in and take them to your town hall along with your padrón certificate, your passport AND your residencia certificate3.
Within a period of three days, the Provincial Delegation of the Electoral Census Office will resolve complaints made and will order the relevant corrections, which must be displayed to the public on the seventeenth day following the notification. Similarly, the solution adopted shall be communicated to the interested parties and to the corresponding town councils.
Appeals may be lodged against the Electoral Census Office's resolutions before a judge within five days of notification of their decision.
Your Voting card
All going well an electoral card will be posted to the voter before the election date but if you do not have a valid postal address you may not receive it. However, you do not need a registration card to vote.
Election Campaigns
The general order of events is as follows:
- The political parties choose the candidates and publish the names in a list in order from most to least important candidates. This means that citizens vote for parties and not for individual candidates.
- Campaigning begins approximately eight weeks before the actual elections.
- All canvassing for votes must cease two days before the actual election day, and no campaigning is permitted either on the last day (the so-called "day of reflection") or on election day, which is normally a Sunday.
- The elections take place at what are known as "colegios electorales", which are simply the various places in your local community where voting takes place.
What happens on Election Day?
On election day take identification and your voting papers (if you have them) to your “colegio electoral” or polling booth. You can still vote if you have not received your voting papers as long as you can be identified on the electoral census by the officials in charge.
In the polling booth, lists of the parties running for election will be available. Choose from the list of candidates, place your choice into one of the envelopes provided and seal the envelope. Prior to the election, some parties will post to voters a list already placed in an envelope to encourage votes for their party. After exiting the booth, go to the attendant, show identification and hand in the envelope.
References
1Royal Decree 15/1966 of 2 February and Order of 24 April 1996.
2 The Organic Law from General Electoral Regime (LOREG), Article 38 section 2.
3 When residing is Spain EU citizens must apply for a residencia certificate after 3 months.
