How to vote in Spain

The European elections take place in Spain on Sunday 9 June 2024.

Voters in Spain will elect 61 Members of the European Parliament in 2024. This is two more Members of the European Parliament than in 2019.

Spain uses closed lists, which does not allow voters to change the order of candidates on the list.

For the presentation of candidates every party, coalition, federation or grouping of electors must produce the supporting signature of 15,000 electors. No electors may give their written support to more than one list of candidates.

Parties, federations and coalitions may, however, replace the requirement mentioned before by the signature of 50 elected representatives, whether members of the Congress of Deputies, senators, Spanish Members of European Parliament, members of Legislative Assemblies of Self-governing Communities or members of local assemblies, provided that no such representatives give their written support to more than one list of candidates.

The list of candidates signed by parties’, federations´ or coalitions’ representatives and by the promoters of electors’ groupings shall be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission between the fifteenth and the twentieth day following the call of the election.

Proclaimed candidatures shall be made public on the twenty eighth day after call of the election in the State’s Official Gazette that is approximately one month before the elections.

There is no minimum electoral threshold in the European elections in Spain.

For the European elections, there is just one national constituency in Spain, which means people across the country choose from the same list of candidates.

No, in Spain there is no legal obligation to vote. There is the right to vote and the right to abstention.

You are eligible to vote in the European elections in Spain if you are:

1. at least 18 years old on election day;
2. a Spanish citizen residing in Spain or abroad (unless they choose to vote in the EU country where they live), or a citizen of other EU country residing in Spain.

Spanish or EU citizen voting in Spain
As a Spanish or EU citizen voting in Spain, you can cast your vote by post (upon request), or in person at the polling station that corresponds to you according to the electoral roll, which is based on your place of registration. You can check your registration and polling station details on the website of the National Statistics Institute.
Before the elections, the competent national authorities will draw up the census from the information provided by the town halls and consulates. Voters have a period of eight days to consult the census and submit claims for change of address, which must be justified, but only within the same electoral demarcation (which corresponds to a province or island).

Spanish citizen voting from abroad
Spanish citizen permanently living abroad
First of all, you must be registered at the consular register at the Spanish Embassy in your country of residence, which will automatically process your registration in the Census of Resident-Absent Voters Living Abroad. From that moment on, you can cast your vote by post or in person, by making use of the ballot boxes available in designated Spanish consulates or embassies or in the places that are enabled for this purpose, where you are registered (Article 75 of Organic Law 5/1985 of 19 June 1985) between eight and three days before election day.
In any case, if you wish to vote by mail, and without the need to request it in advance, you will be sent ex officio all the documentation necessary to vote by mail, to the registration address of each person of Spanish nationality registered in the census of resident voters.

Spanish citizen temporarily living abroad
According to Royal Decree 1621/2007, in order to vote, Spanish citizens who are abroad temporarily must register as non residents at the consulate corresponding to their temporary residence abroad. You must also make a request to the consulate no later than the 25th day after the elections have been called, in order to receive the voting documents at your address abroad. You must send your vote by registered post to the polling station in Spain no later than the third day prior to the election.

Spanish citizen voting in Spain
If you have the Spanish nationality and reside in Spain, you do not have to take any steps: the authorities register you on the electoral roll automatically. However, if you have recently changed your address, we recommend that you check your details at the National Statistics Institute.
You can also consult the list of the electoral roll at the town hall or consulate of your place of residence and, if necessary, file a complaint to correct your details within eight days from the sixth day after the election is called.

EU citizen residing in Spain
To register you will have to fill in a form and present the documentation requested by the town hall where you live. You will also have to disclose your last electoral constituency to prevent double voting and express your wish to vote in Spain.
There are several options to do so.
At any time online at the website of the National Statistics Institute (INE) (available in Spanish) or at your local town hall by filling in the formal declaration form (DFA model) (in Spanish) available at all town halls and which can also be downloaded from the INE website.
In addition, in the months prior to the elections, the Electoral Census Office (OCE) sends a notification to EU citizens who are registered and have not previously expressed their intention to exercise their right to vote. Please note: the OCE only sends the letter once: if you do not respond, it will assume that you do not intend to vote in Spain.
European citizens in Spain who wish to vote in Spain must express their consent before 30 January, 2024, unless they have done so previously.

Spanish citizen voting from abroad
Spanish residents in other countries must be entered on the consular register in good time for inclusion in the current electoral register (Census of Resident-Absent Voters Living Abroad): two or three months before elections are called.
Residents who are abroad temporarily must register as non-residents at the consulate competent for the place where they are staying. When elections are called, they must apply to vote at the consulate no later than 25 days after the announcement of the election.

You should bring your ID, passport or driver license as identification documents. It must be an original document (no photocopies allowed) and have a photograph included.
You can also present the miDGT application and the residence card (in the case of European Union citizens who have it).

In case of voting in person
Voters who cannot read or who, due to any type of disability, whether visual, auditory, intellectual or physical, cannot choose the ballot or place it inside the envelope, can use someone they trust to accompany them and carry out these operations.

In addition, voters voting in the European elections in Spain with a severe visual impairment, who know how to use braille and have a 33% or more recognised level of disability, or who are members of the National Organisation of Spanish Blind people (ONCE), will be provided with an accessible voting kit. Anyone who is eligible can apply for the kit and have it delivered to them in their polling station on the day of the European elections. You can request an accessible vote by calling the Ministry of the Interior's free telephone number 900 150 000 from the day of the call to vote until 27 days later (both inclusive). You can consult all the information on the website of the Ministry of Interior.

Polling places and polling stations must be accessible. The polling station officers will ensure that people with disabilities can exercise their right to vote as autonomously as possible by making the reasonable adjustments as necessary.

If there is no accessible public transport to the polling place, the General State Administration will provide suitable means of transport for persons with motor disabilities who so request it, free of charge, provided that there are the budgetary resources available. There will be also accessible signage.

In case of choosing postal voting
In the event that a voter is unable to submit the request for postal voting in person at the post office due to an illness or disability (which must be accredited by means of a free official medical certificate), the postal vote request may be made on their behalf by another authorised person via notarial or consular channels by means of a document which will be drawn up individually. Afterwards, documentation may also be collected in person by the representative, subject to proof of identity. If the person is not at home, they will have to pick it up in person at the corresponding post office.

You may find easy-to-read information about European elections on the easy-to-read page of this website and also on the website of the Spanish government.

Yes, in Spain you can vote by post.
If, for whatever reason, on election day you are not going to be in the town where you have to vote or you cannot go to your polling station, you can vote by post.
You must first apply in person at any post office (don't forget your original ID card) or online at the Correos website.
Be careful! If you apply to vote by post, you will no longer be able to place your vote in the ballot box at your polling station. After making the application, you will receive by registered post (you will have to present your ID card to collect the envelope), at the address you have indicated, an envelope with a ballot paper for each of the political parties standing in the elections and a voting envelope, together with the certificate of registration in the Census and an envelope with the address of the polling station where you should vote. Place the ballot paper of your choice in the voting envelope and seal it. Put the voting envelope (or envelopes, if there are more elections on the same day) and the certificate in the envelope addressed to the polling station and send it by registered post (free of charge) before the third day before the day on which the elections are held. No postage is required.
For more information you can consult the webpage of the Junta Electoral Central.

No, online voting is not possible in any election held in Spain. This also applies to the European elections.

You cannot give a proxy to anyone to vote in the election.
If you are going to be absent on election day, you can vote by post. The only thing that the law establishes is that, if a person is ill and cannot travel to process the postal vote, which must be accredited with a medical certificate, they can grant a power of attorney to a third party before a notary to collect all the documentation for the postal vote and process it on their behalf. This is known as a power of attorney and is granted free of charge in the presence of a notary.