Toledo, April 4th, 2023 – The regional government has commenced the organizational process for the upcoming autonomous elections, occurring on May 28th, which approximately 1.6 million eligible voters will participate in. Over 4,000 people will participate in organizing and developing these elections. Additionally, 32 million voting ballots and 3.2 million envelopes will be distributed. Over 3,100 polling stations will be set up in 1,477 locations. These details were provided by Juan Alfonso Ruiz Molina, Minister of Treasury and Public Administrations, during the press conference held in the Palacio de Fuensalida in Toledo. Ruiz Molina reported on the matters approved this week by the Council of Government, including the upcoming elections.
Ruiz Molina stated that citizens will exercise their right to free and democratic vote, allowing them to elect their representatives in the autonomous Parliament. In total, 33 deputies will be chosen: seven from Albacete, seven from Ciudad Real, five from Cuenca, five from Guadalajara, and nine from Toledo. The campaign will take place two weeks prior to the elections, running from May 12th to May 27th. On June 22nd, the inaugural session of the Cortes will take place at 11:00.
The minister also mentioned two important changes from the 2019 elections. One concerns the Entities of Inferior Territorial Scope (EATIM), and the other with the CERA vote for the Census of Resident Absentee Voters. The Junta de Comunidades will entirely manage EATIM elections through the Ministry of Treasury and Public Administrations, which will be held on May 28th. With a population of 7,547, a total of 42 EATIMs exist in Castilla-La Mancha and will be established alongside the region’s municipalities on June 17th.
Previously, Spaniards residing abroad and duly registered in the Censo de Electores Residentes Ausentes (CERA) were required to request or plead for the vote to exercise their active suffrage. This request has reduced the level of participation of foreign residents in previous years, resulting in only 4.57% of registrants able to vote. Hence, the modification of the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime abolishes the need to request or plead for the vote for Spaniards residing abroad. More than 36,000 Castilla-La Mancha residents residing in 123 countries will be affected by this change. The ballots and voting envelopes will be sent to embassies and consulates to facilitate voting in-person for those who want it.
The minister also introduced the website «Elecciones 2023,» available to all citizens. It will be a reference platform for all actors involved in the electoral process. The website will contain a calendar with dates of interest before the elections, information on where and how to vote, and a list of candidates. The website is user-friendly and straightforward to use, with regularly updated content. The Centre for Data Dissemination will be situated in the School of Regional Administration. The projected budget for the election organization is 4.3 million euros.
Finally, Ruiz Molina informed that the Council of Government has approved the decree that sets the maximum limit of electoral expenses that political parties can incur in parliamentary elections. It will be published in the official regional journals. This decree establishes the maximum amount that each political party per constituency or province can spend, based on the number of residents, excluding postal costs for electoral propaganda. The decree sets a maximum of 0.47 euros per inhabitant, the same amount as in the 2019 Autonomous Elections.
The article «Más de 4.000 personas colaboran en la organización de las elecciones autonómicas del 28 de mayo, en las que podrán votar cerca de 1,6 millones de ciudadanos.» was first published on Diario de Castilla-La Mancha.
