Dozens of people participated in a series of talks organised by local town halls in collaboration with the Alicante Provincial Council which took place recently in Orihuela Costa, Rojales and Torrevieja. The seminars aimed at informing international residents about their right to vote in the next municipal elections, scheduled for 28th May next year.
All talks were led by the British Vice Consul, Sara Munsterhjelm and Brahim El-Habib from the Diputación de Aliante. In Torrevieja, they were accompanied by Councillor for International Residents Gitte Lund Thomsen at the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre.
The Assembly Hall of the Town Hall in Orihuela Costa hosted the information session there, which was attended by the Councillor for Immigration and Citizen Participation, Ángel Luis Muñoz.
The talks were mainly designed to address who can vote and how they can register to do so, since in the forthcoming elections, in addition to Spanish citizens of legal age, citizens of the European Union and several countries which have signed a reciprocal agreement with Spain for that purpose are able to vote. This is of special interest to Britons Since, at the end of the transition period for Brexit on 31st December 2020, citizens who were eligible to vote previously now may, or may not be eligible depending on whether they meet certain conditions.
The UK now enters in the list of countries with a reciprocal voting agreement. There are some differences to note. Registering to vote is not automatic and the electoral role is renewed at each election (therefore, after registering for the 2023 election, UK nationals will have to go through the same registration process again in advance of the next municipal or European election). Other criteria include that the individual:
● Be on the padrón in the town where they want to vote
● Has lived legally in Spain for at least three years (not necessarily in the same town)
● Be over 18
● Has confirmed your intent to vote and enrols on the electoral roll before the deadline (before 30th January for EU citizens, between 1 December 2022 and 15 January 2023 for citizens of countries with an agreement).
While there is no minimum residency period required for EU citizens to be eligible to vote, Non-EU citizens must have had legal residence for between 3 and 5 years (3 years for the UK/Norway, 5 years for other countries on the list).
All citizens not currently on the electoral role and who are eligible to vote should receive a letter at the end of November asking them if they wish to exercise their right to vote. The letter can be signed and returned, or it will have a link for online registration. It is expected that due to errors, postal difficulties and so on, some people will not receive this letter. It’s important, if you don’t get a letter by the first week in December, to go to your local town hall to ask to be put on the electoral register. In Torrevieja, you can do so at Censo y Estadistica but as it can be difficult to get an appointment, you can contact the International Residents Department who can help – email pangea@torrevieja.eu
In Orihuela Costa, procedures are carried out at the municipal census office, although it is necessary to make an appointment in advance through the municipal website: www.orihuela.es/alcaldia-y-atencion-al-ciudadano/concejalia-de-estadistica /patron-municipal-de-habitantes/ where other details of the procedure are also available.
Wherever you currently live, if you are a UK citizen and don’t receive a letter inviting you to register to vote by early December, you are urged to contact your town hall.
For anyone who missed the talks so far, there is another talk in San Fulgencio which takes place at Cardenal Bellugal Theatre on Calle Rojales 16, San Fulgencio on Friday November 25 beginning at 10am.
Those interested in finding out more and registering for the next talk can also obtain more information on the website: www.votoresidentesalicante.com