If you’re a Brit living under the Andalucian sun, you may be surprised to learn that when the region goes to the polls, your ballot paper will never arrive.
Despite the thousands of British expats who call the region home – many of whom have done so for decades – the right to cast a vote in regional elections remains strictly reserved for Spanish citizens.
That means when President Juanma Moreno eventually decides the date of the next Andalucian election, UK nationals will be spectators, not participants.
READ MORE: Andalucia is preparing for general elections that ‘could be held within months’
The same applies to Spain’s general elections and referendums.
So what can Brits vote in?
The good news is that British expats have not been completely shut out of the democratic process.
Thanks to a post-Brexit bilateral treaty between Spain and the UK, UK citizens with legal residency can still vote – and even stand – in local municipal elections.
In practice, this means that if you’re registered on the padron (the local census) and on the electoral roll, you can help decide who runs your town hall – whether that’s in Marbella, Mijas, Estepona, or a whitewashed inland pueblo.
It’s a significant power, given that many local councils decide on issues that directly affect expats, from rubbish collection to urban planning permissions.
What about the European Parliament?
Before Brexit, Brits living in Spain also had the right to vote in European Parliament elections. But when the UK left the EU, so too did that right. Today, only EU citizens and Spanish nationals can cast ballots in those elections.
What about other foreign residents?
Spain also has voting agreements with a handful of other non-EU countries – including Norway, Iceland, and several Latin American nations – allowing their citizens to vote in municipal elections. But just like Brits, they are excluded from regional and national votes.
So while British expats in Andalucía can influence who runs their local council, they have no say in who governs the Junta de Andalucia in Sevilla, or who occupies La Moncloa in Madrid.
For many, it’s a frustrating limitation – especially given the sizeable British community and the taxes they pay. But unless Madrid and London renegotiate voting rights beyond the municipal level, the rule is simple: Brits can vote local, but not regional or national.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
