Rafa González I
Madrid (EFE).- The general elections on July 23 are just around the corner and many Spanish citizens living abroad will ask themselves: How can I vote if I am outside of Spain?
Spaniards residing abroad may vote in person at the center set up in that country or send their vote by mail until July 20. If you are on vacation in Spain, you can vote by mail here.
Spaniards residing abroad must be registered in the Consular Registration Register and in the Census of Absent Resident Voters (CERA).
If they are not, they will need to register. In fact, the current electoral census for these elections is closed as of March 1, 2023.
Last June, an extraordinary consultation period was enabled at consular offices or at the electronic headquarters of the National Statistics Institute (INE).
From June 5 to 12, it was possible to present claims for improper exclusion or inclusion of the census, as well as to update the registration data.
How do I receive the electoral documentation?
Unlike the 2019 general election, overseas residents no longer need to submit an application to vote.
The Provincial Delegations of the Electoral Census Office sent in June by postal mail, in a first shipment, the following documentation to the registration address of each voter:
- An envelope containing the address of the competent Electoral Board
- voting envelopes
- Certificates of registration in the census
- and a fact sheet
In a second mailing, the voters receive the ballots, unless there are challenges to the candidacies, in which case the delivery can be delayed until July 8.
Voters will also be able to download the ballots from the time the candidacies are announced and until July 20 on the website of the National Institute of Statistics.
Deadlines
In person: voters will be able to deposit their vote in the ballot boxes arranged for it at their embassy, consulate or center enabled for it from July 15 to 20.
The consular offices will guarantee the availability of official ballot papers in the centers, as well as voting envelopes and the computer means to download the necessary documentation to vote. The consular officer will require the voter to identify her.
Vote by mail: voters may send their vote by certified postal mail to their consular office between June 27 and July 18. Envelopes received at the office will be valid up to and including July 21.
Residents abroad, but temporarily in Spain
If you live abroad, you are registered in the Census of Absent Resident Voters (Cera) and you are temporarily in Spain during the call for the electoral process, you can request (just like residents in Spain) to vote by mail from 30 from May to July 13 at any Post Office.
Once the documentation has been requested and received, you must personally take the envelope with your vote to the office, where you will have to identify yourself with your DNI or a similar document, and send it by free certified mail no later than July 20.
If you cannot go in person to deliver the documentation, you will have to authorize another person to deposit it, accompanied by a photocopy of your ID or similar document and signed by you.