IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION ON VOTING RIGHTS

The public meeting held in the Orihuela Costa Civic Centre today by the Alicante Diputación on voting rights and the padron brought to light some important new information about registering on the padron, voting rights and a correction in the information about voter registration applications by post.

There was a clarification and a new interpretation of existing rules. First, the clarification. The Playa Flamenca office of the Town Hall will accept applications for registration on the padron for those with proper documentation (including property titles or rental agreement and identification documents) WITHOUT the need for the green Residencia card.

The green card Residencia is NOT a prior requirement for registration on the padron. It was said by the Town Hall authorities that they had not insisted in the past on Residencia for padron applications but there could have been confusion .

The position was now clear. The green card Residencia is NOT a prior requirement for registering on the padron. Appplicants will continue to be encouraged to apply for Residencia but that is all.

The new interpretation of the rules is that once registered on the padron, applications can be made immediately and directly at the padron desk for inclusion on the voters list – WITHOUT THE REQUIREMENT for the green card Residencia. The Councillor for the Coast said that up to now Residencia was a requirement for registering to vote. She promised to instruct the padron officers on this new interpretation of requirements.

This clarification and the new interpretation of the rules are important. A number of those asking questions at the meeting were interested in voting in local elections since they were property owners and paid local council taxes. They wanted to participate in the local political process to ensure that they get value for the money they pay in taxes and ensure that the money the Town Hall receives from the central government as a result of them being on the padron, will be spent on services and facilities available in Orihuela Costa. However, for reasons due to personal circumstances, they did not want to commit themselves to Residencia.

Up to now, they had not been able to register to vote. If this new interpretation of the rules is implemented as promised, property owning residents on the padron will be able to register to vote without Residencia. And, it is affirmed, Residencia is not a requirement for registering on the padron. Many people could benefit from this new interpretation of the rules in regard to the right to apply for inclusion on the voters list without Residencia

The correction of the information on voting application by post was that the over 5,000 voting application forms being currently sent by post to those in Orihuela (believed to be over 3,500 in Orihuela Costa) who have registered on the padron since 2010 will not be able to register simultaneously for BOTH the European Parliament elections in 2014 and the municipal elections in 2015.

The forms will NOT have two boxes to tick like the voting application form for personal applications in the Playa Flamenca office of the Town Hall. There will only be provision for registering to vote in next year’s European Parliament elections.

A separate exercise in sending out application forms by post for the municipal elections in 2015 will begin in the autumn of 2014.

The disappointment in not being able to register to vote by post for both European Parliament and municipal elections is offset by the above mentioned new possibilities for registering on the padron and on the voters list. And, very importantly it was stressed that, systematically and simultaneously, in future, those non-Spanish EU citizens registering on the padron will be offered the opportunity to apply to register on the voters list for both municipal and European Parliament elections

It is important for all EU residents in Orihuela Costa to know that they can AT ANY TIME ask in person to fill up the voting application form at the Padron desk of the Playa Flamenca office of the Town Hall for both municipal and European Parliament elections and, once registered to vote, this right is permanent and does not need to be renewed each time there is a new election. All they need in addition to the padron is photo identification (usually passport) and an A4 photocopy.

This new information enables the C.L.A.R.O. campaign to register to vote for both European Parliament and municipal elections to continue with new opportunities, encouraged by the Spanish authorities, enabling us to have both VOICE AND VOTE.

It is very important for the future of Orihuela Costa and our legitimate aim to get a better share of services and facilities, that we have a strong political voice AND representation in the Orihuela Town Hall.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/41516/

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