Mail-in ballots stolen in Badajoz, Spain, two days before the election

Correos offices broken into and mail-in ballots stolen in Badajoz, Spain

Two days before the elections in Extremadura, the safe at the Correos post office in Fuente de Cantos (Badajoz) was found stolen with 124 ballots inside. The PP (People's Party) reported the theft and linked it to an attempt to harm them; Correos confirmed it in a statement and the Guardia Civil peine an investigation. The break-ins were repeated in Santa Amalia, Torremejía and Talavera la Real. The timing —several offices, the same night, mail-in ballots inside— is the fact. The interpretation is another matter.

What was taken and where

The loot from Fuente de Cantos was not money: it was a safe containing 124 ballots cast by voters from Fuente de Cantos, Bienvenida and Calzadilla de los Barros. In Santa Amalia and Torremejía there were also thefts that night; in Talavera la Real, the attempt took place in the early hours of Monday. The Guardia Civil confirmed the disappearance of the 124 ballots and, hours later, Correos reported that they had been found, allowing those voters to vote again.

The PP of Extremadura described the events as a coordinated attack and claimed the aim was to harm them. That is a political accusation, not a judicial conclusion. The investigation remains open.

The ballot-rigging theory and its limits

Much of the reaction did not stop at the theft. It was read as proof of an electoral system vulnerable by design. Some argue that mail-in voting is the weak link and should be restricted or banned, citing the fact that in France it is limited precisely to prevent fraud. Others point out that Correos and Indra take part in the process and ask who guarantees the count if those companies are under political influence.

Against that, the official version —reported by several media outlets— points to common crime. The argument has a basic logical flaw: common thieves do not usually specialise in stealing ballots, a good with no resale value. Someone who steals a safe is looking for money or jewellery. Here, they took ballots.

The precedent no one forgets

In '36, some recall, ballot boxes were stolen after voting and tally sheets forged to proclaim winners without counting the votes. The comparison is historical and exaggerated, but it explains the mood: distrust of the system was not born with this theft, it goes back a long way, and this episode feeds it.

The operative question is another one. If the stolen ballots were recovered and the voters can vote again, where is the damage? In the perception. A system that needs to explain why nothing peine has already lost part of the battle.

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The case remains in the hands of the Guardia Civil. There are no confirmed arrests and no conclusion about who is responsible. The only verifiable fact is the coincidence: several offices, the same night, ballots inside. From there, everyone chooses their own story.