While Andalucia is engulfed in election fever ahead of Sunday’s regional vote, there are entire villages where the campaign has barely registered – as the majority of residents are Brits and other foreigners.

In several municipalities across Almeria province, foreign residents now make up more than 60% of the population, with the majority coming from the UK and other European countries.

Yet despite living, working and paying taxes in Spain, they remain excluded from voting in regional and national elections.

In villages like Arboleas, foreigners account for 67.7% of residents, according to Spain’s INE statistics office.

In Bedar the figure stands at 61.1%, while Partaloa sits at 60.7%.

As a result, election posters, rallies and campaign events common across much of Andalucia are almost nowhere to be seen.

‘The campaign for the Andalucian elections in Arboleas has gone largely unnoticed,’ mayor Pepa Rodriguez told Diario de Almeria.

‘No political banners have been put up. I suppose that’s because there aren’t many people here who can actually vote.’

Rodriguez, who governs the town under the UCIN party, added that turnout and campaigning are always far more visible during local elections.

‘Only around 30% of the population here can vote in these elections,’ she explained.

In Bedar, a picturesque whitewashed village in the hills above Mojacar with just 953 residents, daily life appears almost untouched by the looming vote.

There are no visible campaign posters, no party stands and little sense that millions of Andalucians will head to the polls within days.

Some foreign residents were not even aware an election was taking place.

‘We had no idea there were elections this Sunday,’ said Irene, 71, and her husband Will, 75, an English couple who have lived in Bedar for 15 years.

Others knew a vote was approaching but were unclear on what exactly was being decided.

‘It’s not about choosing the mayor… I think it’s something economic?’ said Linda, a British resident from nearby Los Gallardos.

Another resident, Penny, asked: ‘They’re not local elections, are they? I think they’re national?’

The village’s socialist mayor, Angel Collado, said the lack of campaign material was partly deliberate because the election period coincided with local fiestas.

Many foreign residents say language barriers and limited access to Spanish media make it difficult to fully understand the country’s political landscape.

‘We don’t have access to Spanish television and newspapers don’t really reach Bedar,’ said David, 79.

‘I would like to know more about the different political parties and what they stand for.’

Despite that, many say they would gladly participate in Spanish democracy if given the opportunity.

‘We pay taxes but we don’t have a voice,’ said Philippa, who works at a local estate agency. ‘And I would like to have one.’

Others pointed out that foreign residents are deeply integrated into local life and economies.

‘There are huge numbers of foreigners living in Andalucia – not just British people, but Lithuanians, Romanians, Poles, South Americans and many others,’ added Penny.

‘We are an important part of the workforce and the economy. Why shouldn’t we be able to choose who represents us?’

Some residents also openly shared political preferences.

Carol, another British resident, said she rejected ‘far-right policies’ because they were ‘bad for foreigners’ and added she would support Pedro Sanchez’s party because it was ‘anti-Trump’.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.