Laura Ramírez I Huelva, (EFE) municipalities of Huelva and Seville, the two provinces with the greatest Rociera tradition and devotion.
It is not the first time this happens. The same situation was already experienced in the years 2007 and 2015 and, as then, the requests for votes by mail suffered a considerable increase compared to the elections in which this coincidence has not occurred.
Looking ahead to next Sunday, the data speaks for itself. And, although it is true that multiple circumstances influence the request to vote by post, the fact that the increase that has occurred is largely related to the celebration of the pilgrimage cannot be ignored.
The rise of voting by mail
It must be borne in mind that the provinces with the greatest rociera tradition in Andalusia are Huelva, Seville and Cádiz. And that the first two concentrate the bulk of filial brotherhoods, around 74% of the 127 that make pilgrimages to the village.
In the case of Seville, 40 of the 107 towns in the province have Rociera brotherhoods. To which must be added the six based in the capital. While in Huelva there are 24 municipalities with corporations, plus the two that leave the city.
These data are reflected in the vote by mail requested for next May 28. Since in both provinces an average of 110% has risen in relation to the last elections of 2019.
The increase is majority in Huelva, the figure reaches around 144 percent. In this way, compared to the 13,203 requests from the last elections for those of next Sunday, 32,123 have been presented. 22,784 in person at post offices and the remaining 9,339 through the Correos website.
The percentage of increase falls in the province of Seville to a not inconsiderable 80%. So if in 2019 the applications were 30,738, this year they have stood at 55,588 -35,170 face-to-face and 20,418 online-.
The risk of abstention
These huge figures are falling in the rest of the provinces. Although, a rise in this type of voting of around 30% has also been felt at the regional level.
In this way, the vote by mail can be decisive for the achievement of more or less councilors next Sunday in municipalities markedly dewy.
Some municipalities that will also have to analyze, at the end of the day, if it has compensated for a possible rise in abstention motivated by this very circumstance.
Be that as it may, in these municipalities, the coincidence of the municipal elections with the Rocío pilgrimage will motivate attention, especially in those closest to Rocío, to be divided between the polls. And what happens in the village on Pentecost Sunday, before the procession of the so-called ‘Blanca Paloma’. EFE