Election glossary

Glossari

• Abstention

  Voters who do not vote in an election. It can be given as an absolute or percentage figure. The absolute figures for abstention and turnout equal the electoral roll. The total percentage figure is obviously 100 since they are complementary concepts.

• Agent

  The person appointed by the representative of a list to represent it at election events and operations. In particular they monitor voting and counting. They are not a member of the polling station committee and vote at the one for which they are registered. They can visit any polling station committee.

• Announcement of provisional results

  Operation to announce the provisional results of the count. It can be done on television, online, by text, etc.

• Backup processing centre (CPB)

  Facility in addition to the data processing centre located in a separate building to continue counting the results in case of evacuation of the main building.

• Ballot paper

  Printed slip used for voting. For the Senate it is a single ballot paper which includes all the candidates and the voter has to choose three at most. In other elections they have to choose the ballot paper for the list they want to vote for, which includes the acronym, name of the list and the list of candidates for the constituency.

• Ballots for lists

  Ballots validly cast for any of the electoral lists that have been announced. The relationship between the various categories for classifying ballots is as follows: Total ballots = valid ballots + spoilt ballots. Valid ballots = blank ballots + ballots for lists.

• Blank ballots

  Ballots cast in envelopes without a ballot paper and ballots cast for a list that has been formally withdrawn. In Senate elections ballot papers with no preference expressed for any candidate are blank ballots. Ballots cast for lists that have been withdrawn in the course of the process are also blank ballots. Blank ballots are part of valid ballots (which is significant when it comes to calculating the percentages).

• Booth

  Enclosed place in the polling station where voters can put their ballot paper in the envelope and which ensures their vote is secret.

• Candidate

  Person on an electoral list once it has been announced by the relevant electoral commission. Depending on the type of election they may be candidates to be members and senators of the Spanish Lower House and Senate respectively, members of the legislative assemblies of the regions or the European Parliament, general members of the General Council of Aran and councillors on local councils.

• Coalition

  Political formation set up to present lists for a particular election and consisting of political parties and/or federations of parties.