Right to Vote in Municipal Elections
In the municipal elections of 2011, citizens of the following countries and regions have the right to vote: European Union, Norway, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru and citizens residing in Spain from other countries that sign agreements in the future.
To exercise the right to vote, you must be registered on the electoral roll.
Nationals from EU countries
For nationals from EU countries residing in Spain to register on the electoral roll, they must make a formal declaration of the desire to exercise the right to vote. The declaration must be handed in at the town hall of the place where the citizen lives before 31 December 2010.
This year, unlike previous years, the Electoral Roll Office will send a personal notice only to citizens who have not made the formal declaration and who registered on the census after May 2007, rather than to all the residents on the census as it has done to date. Accordingly, it is important to explain that all EU citizens on the census before May 2007 wishing to declare their desire to exercise their right to vote must go to their town hall to do so.
Nationals from countries with agreements for municipal elections
Nationals from countries with agreements that recognise the right to vote in municipal elections require the following: they must be of legal age, apply for registration on the electoral roll for municipal elections and comply with the other terms and conditions provided in the agreements.
Extra-Community countries with agreements in place at the present time include: Norway, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and New Zealand. The list may be increased with other countries that sign agreements in the future.
The terms and conditions provided for nationals from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and New Zealand are as follows:
They must have a residence permit in Spain.
They must have lived in Spain legally and continuously at least for the five years before applying for registration on the electoral roll.
They must exercise their right to vote in the municipality of their usual residence and they must be registered on said municipality's census.
They must be registered on the electoral roll for foreign residents in Spain. The application for registration must be made by the interested party in the town hall on whose municipal census he/she is registered.
And the terms and conditions for Norwegian nationals are as follows:
They must have a residence permit in Spain.
They must have lived in Spain legally and continuously for more than three years.
They must have their address in the municipality in which they are to vote and be registered on the municipal census.
They must be registered on the electoral roll for foreign residents in Spain. This requirement is essential for exercising the right to vote and the registration must be applied for by the interested party. The application must be handed in at the town hall on whose municipal census the applicant is registered.
The applications for registration on the electoral roll may be made from 1 December 2010 to 15 January 2011.
Besides being able to hand in the applications at the town halls, the Electoral Roll Office also plans to send a personal notice to the national citizens of these countries who fulfil the terms and conditions provided in the respective agreements in the month of November 2010, including their census registration details on pre-printed forms.
NB:The European Residents Unit has published an information leaflet on the "Municipal Register and Local Elections" in five languages (Spanish, English, French, German and Dutch). The leaflet is available on our website at www.residenteseuropeos.com
