Municipal elections will be held in the entire state on May 28. Regional elections will also be held in most communities except Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country and Castilla y León. The vote-by-mail application period is open from April 4 through May 18. Spaniards who decide to use this form of early and postal voting will have until May 18 to request it. It is important to note that, once you decide to choose this form of voting, you will not be able to vote in person at a ballot box on Election Day.
What is the deadline for voting by mail?
Vote by mail requests can be made from April 4 through May 18.
How to vote by mail?
You will have to collect the application form from the post office, where it will be available from April 4. You can submit an application to vote by mail through the web, without going to the post office in person. To do this you will need to authenticate yourself with an electronic ID or a valid digital certificate. On the form you will indicate the postal address you wish to send the election documents to (this can be your home, your workplace or a post office box)
The Electoral Census Office will mail the following documents to the address you specified:
- One ballot from each political formation to be submitted to each of the convened procedures.
- One ballot envelope for each process
- Certificate of registration in census.
- An envelope containing your polling station information.
- an explanatory sheet.
Once you have received the documents, select the ballot for each process you are voting in and put it in the respective ballot envelope (or do not include the ballot if you decide to vote blank).
- Put the voting envelope or envelope and certificate of registration in the census inside the envelope with the address of your polling place.
- Do not put any document proving your identity inside the ballot cover, as your vote will be treated as invalid by the table.
- Take this envelope to a post office and in any case send it by certified mail three days before the election. Shipping is free. It is necessary to produce the original valid ID proof in the office.
- On Election Day, Chorios will mail all envelopes containing votes to Vote Centers from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Once the polling is over and prior to scrutiny, the presiding officer will put the ballot envelopes received by mail into the ballot box.
Can I change my mind and vote in person?
No. If you apply to vote by mail, and your application is approved, you will not be able to vote in person at your polling place on Election Day.
How do I apply to vote by mail if I am temporarily or on leave overseas?
If you are temporarily or on leave abroad and wish to exercise your right to vote, you must:
Complete and submit the form in person at the consulate or embassy before April 29. You can find it at the consulate or embassy of the country you’re in, or download it from the websites listed.
To apply, you must be registered with the consular registry of the country where you are as a non-resident. Both the processes (application and registration) can be done in a single act.
What documents will you send me?
The Electoral Census Office will send you:
- an information sheet.
- Ballots and voting envelopes.
- Certificate of Registration in Electoral Roll.
- An envelope addressed to the concerned polling station.
- Printed for refund of shipping cost of postal votes.
In the envelope addressed to the Vote Center, you must include:
Ballot envelopes with your voting choices.
Certificate of registration in census.
A completed form for a refund of shipping costs, if you wish.
Send the envelope by certified mail no later than May 24.
For these votes to be valid, it is necessary that a postmark or other official inscription from the post office of the respective state is clearly visible on the envelope, certifying that it has been mailed within the stipulated period.
Korios will keep correspondence addressed to the bureau until polling day and forward it by 9:00 am and 20:00 on the same day.
