Home Living & Working in Ibiza Procedures & Regulations Ibizan Guide: Register to Vote (inc Padrón)

Ibizan Guide: Register to Vote (inc Padrón)

Step-by-step guide to registering to vote in Spanish municipal elections

The Ibizan

7th November 2014

Ibizan Guide: Register to Vote (including Padrón)

Introduction

This guide explains how, when and where E.U. Citizens can register to vote in Spanish municipal elections.

Subjects covered include:-

Details of forthcoming elections.
Qualifying criteria
Registering on the Padron.
Advice from the Spanish Electoral Office.
The 3 alternative methods of registration.
Ibiza’s ‘Vote for your Voice’ campaign.
Downloadable voter registration form and notes for completion.
Address and contact details of Ibiza’s Ajuntamentos (Town Halls)

Elections – Key Facts

The next Spanish Municipal (local) elections are being held on 24 May 2015
EU citizens may vote in the municipal elections, but they must register to do so.
Communications and information from the Spanish authorities often refer to registration as “express your wish to exercise that right”
The deadline for expressing the wish (registering) to vote in the next municipal elections is 30 December 2014.

Qualifying Criteria

To Vote in Spain’s Municipal elections you must fulfil 3 criteria

Be an E.U. Citizen.
Be 18 years or over on May 24th 2015.
Be resident in Spain and registered on the Padron

Registering on the Padrón

The padrón is a list of all the people who live in a certain town.

Empadronarse is the act of registering yourself on this list with your local town hall.

Registration is a simple process that requires you to go to the padrón office of your town hall and fill in the form they provide. You must take various documents and official identification.

For those not yet registered on the Padron we have provided full information and instructions towards the end of this article.

This includes information on the function and benefits of the Padron, how to go about Empadronarse (registration), and what documents and identification are required.

Registering to Vote in Spain

Guidelines issued by Oficina Del Censo Electoral, Spain’s Electoral Census Office. (adapted to aid translation)

Introduction

Throughout Spain there are currently 418,187 foreign E.U. nationals registered to vote.

People who have registered to vote at previous elections, and have continued to be resident in Spain without interruption, do not need to register again.

Procedure for expressing one’s wish to vote (registering to vote)

EU citizens, who are on the municipal register and have not yet expressed their wish to exercise their right to vote in Spain, must do so by 30th December if they wish to vote in the next municipal elections of 2015.

There are 3 methods of registration.

1) Responding to a letter sent by the Census Office

We (the Electoral Census Office) have sent letters to a further 422,008 EU citizens shown on our records as eligible to vote. An example of that letter is shown below.

It is important to understand that this letter is only an invitation to register – you must complete and return it before 30th December to be entitled to vote.

When completed the letter should be returned to to the corresponding Provincial Delegation of the Electoral Census Office.

2) In Person at your local Town Hall

Citizens can express their wish to vote by going to the municipal council where they are registered on the Padron.

A sample of the form for completion is shown below. English instructions are included.

Forms will be available at the Town Hall, or you can download one by following this link and complete it in advance. CERE.FORMULARIO INTERACTIVO

You can either type directly onto the form and print it (providing your system software is compatible), or print it and complete by hand. The census office print button ‘imprimir formulario’ did not work on our system, but you can print it normally as you would any other document.

A directory of all Town Halls address and contact information can be found at the end of this article.

3) Online

It is also possible to register online if you have either of the following:-

A letter from the census office as in 1) above containing an access password and a Foreigner’s Identity Number (NIE).

An electronic NIE number – known as a DNIe

To register online at the National Statistics Institute website follow this link.

https://sede.ine.gob.es/en

Vote for your Voice

We are encouraging as many people as possible in the ex-pat community to register to vote and make our opinions and concerns heard at the Town Hall.

Vote for your Voice is a non-political group established to encourage the non-Spanish residents of Ibiza to register to vote in local elections.

Through the group we will offer advice and assistance through the first stage of registration on the Padron, and how, when and where to register to Vote.

Joining the group also helps demonstrate the level of motivation to participate in local issues amongst the foreign residents.

The more of us there are, the louder our voice becomes.

Please join by following this link.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/voteibiza/

Registering on the Padrón

The padrón is a list of all the people who live in a certain town. Empadronarse is the act of registering yourself on this list with your local town hall.

Who should register?

It is obligatory by Spanish law to register on the padrón at the Town Hall where you habitually reside, yet many British ex-pats still have not done so. Perhaps some view the padrón as a means of vigilance by the state, in ‘big-brother’ fashion. However, in reality, it is simply a way for the town hall to know how many people live in their area, without entering into investigations as to a person’s official residence status or financial affairs.

How do you register?

You don’t have to own your house to register, just have an address where you habitually live, no matter whether you are the owner, you rent, or live with family or friends. Nor is registration a long drawn out registration process.

Simply go to the padrón office of your town hall and fill in the form they provide. Take along official identification, such as a passport, and also your NIE or residence certificate/card, a recent utility bill in your name, and the deeds to your house or a copy of your rental contract.

Although you may have to return to collect your certificate, the actual registration is completed all on the same day. Some town halls in the Balearic Islands make a small charge for issuing a Certificado de empadronamiento.

A directory of all Ibiza Town Halls can be found further down the page.

Registration Benefits

Once you’ve completed the simple process, you can begin to enjoy all the advantages being on the padrón offers, such as:

Better public services

Central government allocates money to the different municipalities according to how many people are on the padrón. Therefore, if you are not registered, your town hall is losing money for the provision of health centres, police officers, fire fighters and schools.

Access to benefits & social care

You must be on the padrón for a certain period of time in order to access some income-related benefits and other aspects of social care available through social services at your town hall.

A reduction in taxes

Depending on the town hall, registration on the padrón could mean reductions in certain community charges and inheritance tax. Furthermore, those on the padrón can also often enjoy discounted courses, leisure and cultural activities run by the town hall.

Discounted travel

A current ‘Cerificado de Empadronamiento’ can allow residents of Spanish islands to receive discounts of up to 50% on air fares and ferry tickets between the islands and the mainland.

Voting rights

In order to register to vote in local or European elections, you must first be registered on the padrón.

An easier life

You’ll find you need your padrón certificate to carry out various administrative tasks, such as register for healthcare, register your car with Spanish number plates or enrol your children in school.