The vote is a right that we should all have, and well, there is no reason for one not to exercise their vote unless they are not mentally capable or are very young to be aware of the importance that a vote has. Voting defines us as people and helps us show responsibility, independence and determination, since we are choosing for ourselves what we consider to be the best or most suitable.
The vote is one of the most important rights that a person can have and asserting that vote should not be something that others prevent or that is difficult to achieve, that is why it is necessary that there are organizations that validate your vote so that it can be used and your right is fulfilled.
If you want to assert your right to vote, you only need to follow the proper procedure to cast your vote. The problem that many have when voting is the place where they reside or their current civil situation, such as not having a certificate of nationality or a certificate of residence abroad or simply because they cannot leave home, but this is not It means that it is impossible to make your vote. Luckily for you, you can vote by mail, and voting by mail is the easiest way to exercise your vote without the need to reside in Spain or go directly to the polls. We will clarify your doubts by showing you how to vote by mail.
Instructions for voting by mail
- The main requirements you need to meet to vote by mail is to be of legal age, if you are not of legal age you will not be able to vote, you need to be of legal age and be civilly registered, otherwise you will not be able to exercise your right to vote or access to any other legal right, any other legal action exercised by you will not be recognized, so you need to be of legal age and be registered as a Spanish citizen residing in Spain.
- In the case of foreigners, they must be persons of legal age registered as civilians and reside in Spain. In addition to residing in Spain to be able to vote by mail, they must be officially recognized as citizens belonging to the European Union, they must also be registered in the electoral roll as residents in Spain. If you plan to vote by mail and you are experiencing this type of situation, you will need to certify your identity as a resident in Spain through a residence certificate with your photograph and your signature to confirm that you are in Spain and can vote by mail.
- Spaniards who permanently reside abroad can also vote in Spain. You will have to request an application which you will formulate and meet the following requirements; First you must print the application, this application will be granted by the Electoral Census Office, or if you cannot access this office for some exclusive reason, you can request this service at the Ministry of the Interior.
- The printing of this application must be accompanied by photocopies of other personal documents that you must present, such as a photocopy of your ID, a photocopy of your passport, in addition, the passport that you use for the photocopy must be issued by the Spanish authorities in charge of this. In addition to these documents, you also need your nationality certificate, you can request this document free of charge at the Consulate, you will also need to present your consular registration certificate, this is also granted free of charge by the Spanish Embassy.
- The documents you will need to vote are a ballot paper and a voting envelope, a couple of certificates proving your registration in the CRA(Census of Absent Residents), an envelope for the JEP (Provincial Electoral Board), an envelope for to the Spanish Embassy or Consulate, and a printout to reimburse the expenses incurred for mailing.
- To vote, the person in charge will give you a ballot to choose the candidate, which you will put in the envelope that this same server will give you. If your vote will be blank, that is, if you will vote for all the candidates then you will not receive the ballot, then you will send this envelope with your vote to the JEP (Provincial Electoral Board), with the following information, a census registration certificate, the photocopy of your National Identity Document (DNI) issued by the Spanish authority or authorities in charge, or you can present a photocopy of your registration, certificate of Spanish nationality, or a photocopy of your passport.
- All these documents must be ready before the date on which the elections begin so that you can vote on time and correctly. You must deposit this in the special ballot boxes for voting that you will find in the Consulate, you must also deliver to an official in charge at the consulate, the second certificate that accredits the registration of the census.
- You must do all these procedures before the dates close to the beginning of the electoral process and it is better to have the corresponding data and requirements before the date on which the elections begin.
- These documents have to be evaluated and approved with a legal stamp that indicates proper compliance with the procedure, only then can it be worth the vote and it will be accepted. The Consular Office, the Consular Section of the Diplomatic Mission, or the State Post Office, can help you with this procedure if any of these organizations stamp your documents or give you another registration to approve your data.
- Once the procedure for voting by mail has been completed, all that remains is to wait for the office of the MAEC (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation) to send the vote and send it to the Electoral Board of Spain.
What do you need to vote by mail?
- Ballot
- Envelope for vote
- A pair of registration certificates from the CRA (Census of Absent Residents)
- Allocate the envelope to the Electoral Boards
- Send the envelope to the Spanish Embassy