European elections 2024: Basic guide to the electoral process

Elections to the European Parliament will be held between June 6 and 9, 2024. In Spain, the vote will take place on Sunday, June 9, 2024. Although the vast majority of Brits are no longer eligible to vote after Brexit, there are some who retain those rights.

As part of the buildup in Spain, the Spanish Government has published this basic guide to European elections 2024.

Citizens of all European Union countries elect their representatives as deputies to the European Parliament every five years. In 2024, 720 deputies will be elected, 15 more than in the previous elections in 2019, who will represent almost 450 million people.

MEPs address political, economic, and social issues. They debate, develop, and approve rules on fundamental issues for all the countries that make up the European Union. In addition, they defend the values ​​of the Union, approve its budget and control how money is spent.

What day are the European elections held in Spain?

The Government called the elections for Sunday, June 9, 2024. The call came into force on April 16, after its publication in the Official State Gazette.

How many deputies are elected in Spain?

In Spain, 61 MEPs will be elected to the European Parliament in 2024, two more than in the elections held in 2019.

Candidates appear on closed lists, so voters cannot change the order of preference of those candidates on the list.

Who can submit their candidatures?

Parties, coalitions, federations, and groups of voters can present candidatures if they prove the support of 15,000 signatures. No voter can sign on more than one candidacy.

Parties, coalitions, and federations that have the signatures of 50 elected officials, whether they are deputies, senators, Spanish deputies of the European Parliament, members of the legislative assemblies of the autonomous communities or members of local corporations, are exempt from meeting this requirement. No elected official can subscribe to more than one candidacy.

When are applications submitted and published?

The candidacies will be presented to the Central Electoral Board between May 1 and 6, although the communication of coalition creation must be made between April 17 and 26.

The Official State Gazette will publish the proclaimed candidacies on May 14.

When does the electoral campaign begin and how long does it last?

The electoral campaign will last 15 days. It will start at 0:00 a.m. on May 24 and end at midnight on June 7.

How many electoral districts are there?

In elections to the European Parliament, the electoral constituency is unique in Spain and includes the entire national territory. This means that voters vote for the same lists of candidates regardless of the autonomous community or city of residence.

What are the requirements to vote in the European elections in Spain?

Be 18 years old on the day of voting and be registered on the electoral roll.

Have Spanish nationality and reside in Spain or abroad or be a citizen of another European Union country residing in Spain.

Is it mandatory to vote?

No, in Spain voting is not mandatory. Both voting and abstention are electoral rights.

Do you have to register on the electoral roll?

Voters with Spanish nationality who are registered in Spain will not have to carry out any procedure: they are automatically registered on the electoral roll. However, it is recommended that you check your data at the Electoral Census Office, especially if you have changed your residence.

The electoral roll for these elections will be the one in force on February 1, 2024 and includes the registrations made until the penultimate business day of the previous month. Therefore, it includes registrations carried out until January 30.

If the voter observes any error, they may file a claim to have their data corrected during a period of eight days starting on the sixth day after the election is called.

On the other hand, nationals of another European Union country residing in Spain must have expressed their will in Spain before January 30. In addition, they will have to be registered in the town hall that corresponds to them within the same deadlines and will have the same rectification procedures in force for resident citizens.

How can I vote?

Voters can vote in person at the polling station that corresponds to them according to the electoral roll or vote by mail whether they reside in Spain or abroad.

Where do I have to go to vote and at what time?

The Electoral Census Office sends a census card to all voters residing in Spain with their registration data in the census, in which they are informed of the polling station where they must vote. These data can also be consulted on the website of the National Statistics Institute.

Voting will begin at 9 in the morning and will end at 8 at night. If there are people left in the queue at the polling station who have not voted at that time, they will be able to do so. Then the members of the electoral board and the auditors will vote.

At school they must identify themselves with an original document: ID, passport or driving licence. Photocopies of documents are not valid.

It is also valid to present the miDGT application and the residence card.

Can people who work that Sunday be absent to vote?

Yes. The Workers’ Statute recognises the right to be absent from work, with the right to remuneration, to exercise the right to vote.

The General Administration of the State or the autonomous communities may adopt specific measures so that employed workers and civil servants who provide their services on election day can have up to 4 paid hours of free time during their working hours to go to vote depending on how much the workday overlaps with the hours of the polling stations.

What in-person assistance do voters with disabilities have?

Voters who cannot read or have some type of disability (visual, hearing, intellectual or physical) that prevents them from choosing the ballot can turn to a person they trust to help them.

In addition, blind people or people with severe visual disabilities who use Braille, with a recognised degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%, or who are affiliated with ONCE, can request a free telephone number 900 150,000 for the accessible voting kit, which will be given to them at the polling station on election day. The request can be made from the day of the call until 27 days later, both inclusive, that is, from April 16 to May 13.

When will the election results be known?

Some European countries will begin voting on Thursday, June 6, but the results will not begin to be known until Sunday, June 9, when all polling stations in all countries have closed their doors.

Citizens will be able to follow the development of election day through an election results web page.

How are election results materialised?

The new MEPs will form transnational political groups depending on the European political family to which they belong. In its first plenary session, all MEPs of the new Parliament will elect the new president of the institution, in addition to other positions in the chamber’s bodies. In a subsequent session, Parliament will put to a vote the proposal for the presidency of the European Commission made by the European Council, whose approval requires an absolute majority. Later it will examine and approve the entire College of Commissioners.

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