This election season brings more than just short days and scarves; sometimes, it also leaves a certified letter in the mailbox that completely disrupts weekend plans. Between this Saturday, October 31, and Wednesday, November 4, city councils across Spain will hold raffles to determine who will serve as poll workers for the general election on November 29.
When is the polling station lottery held?
Barcelona already has the names of those who will serve at the polling stations for the general election on November 29. This Saturday, City Hall moved up the drawing—whose legal deadline was November 4—to designate the 15,336 citizens who will serve as presiding officers, poll workers, and alternates at the 1,704 polling stations throughout the city. The decision to hold the drawing on the first business day stems from the urgency of processing such a large volume of notifications efficiently.
How to Find Out If You’ve Been Selected to Serve at a Polling Station
Starting this Monday, November 2, the postal system will spring into action, and those selected will begin receiving a certified letter from Correos at their homes, along with a brief explanatory manual detailing their duties. From the moment they sign for receipt of this document, those selected have exactly seven days to file objections or provide medical excuses with the Electoral Board. If the mail carrier does not find you at home, the usual protocol will apply: they will leave a notice in your mailbox instructing you to pick up the notification at your nearest post office.
For those who are too impatient to wait for the doorbell to ring, City Hall has set up two direct ways to check the results of the drawing:
- By phone: Call the citizen service hotline at 010 toll-free. Once you provide your personal information, the operators will tell you immediately if you’ve been selected.
- Online: Through the city council’s Virtual Services Office. You must verify your identity digitally (using idCAT Mòbil, the Cl@ve system, or an electronic ID card), access the “Personal Space,” and look for the “Voter Registration Data” section, where the official notification will appear if you have been selected.
What you’re entitled to if you’re assigned to a polling station: 75 euros and a reduced workday
Being selected as a chairperson or member means reporting to the polling place at 8:00 a.m. and not leaving until the last vote has been tallied—well past 8:00 p.m. The financial compensation for this Sunday of service is 75 euros. In addition, those who have to work are entitled to paid leave for that same Sunday and a five-hour reduction in their workday on Monday, October 30.
The substitutes, without a doubt, have it the worst. The law requires them to get up early and be present first thing in the morning, but if the regular poll workers show up and the polling station is set up without any problems, they go home without receiving any compensation.
What happens if you don’t show up (and how to legally get out of it)
Failing to report for polling duty without a valid reason is a serious matter that can result in fines and even prison sentences of up to one year. However, if you receive the dreaded notice, you have exactly seven days to file your appeal with the Local Electoral Board (JEZ).
The system is more lenient toward older adults: if you are between 65 and 70 years old, the law allows you to opt out directly. You can also be exempted, upon request, if you can prove a disability of 33% or more, or if you have already fulfilled this civic duty three times in the last ten years.
Who Is Exempt?
Real life doesn’t always come to a halt because of an election. For this reason, professionals who provide essential services and must be on call—such as doctors or firefighters—are exempt. Family care is another compelling reason; proving that you must care for minors or sick people is a common basis for granting an exemption. Added to this list are pregnant women, as well as people with injuries or who have recently undergone—or are scheduled to undergo—surgery around that date.
The JEZ also takes major life changes into account. If you’ve moved to another autonomous community (even if you’re still listed on the voter registry in your former city) or if you have a major family event that was already scheduled, you can submit your paperwork. Finally, having a vacation trip booked before the election was called is also a valid excuse, although since these elections are being held in late November, far fewer travel disruptions are expected than during last summer’s election.
