Marked envelopes in Spain's Andalusian elections
In the Andalusian elections in Spain, envelopes of different shades allow polling station officials to identify votes. Control or ballot rigging? An analysis of a practice that raises concerns.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Marked envelopes in the Andalusian elections: a trick for monitoring votes in real time
In the recent Andalusian elections in Spain, an image has circulated showing three voting envelopes from different parties: PSOE, PP and Vox. At first glance, the shades are different: the PSOE envelope is darker, while those of the PP and Vox show subtle variations. This detail is no coincidence. The envelopes are sent out by the parties themselves to voters, and the colour difference allows polling station officials to identify, from the electoral table, which ballot each voter has inserted.
How the marking works: party control over the vote
The practice, colloquially known as "votonteo", consists of parties sending out envelopes of different shades so that their scrutineers can roughly track the vote during election day. At polling stations, when a voter inserts the envelope, the members of the electoral board see it before it is dropped into the ballot box. If the envelopes are distinguishable, an attentive official can note down which party each person has voted for. This is especially worrying in small towns, where the vote ceases to be secret and can be used to draw up blacklists or pressure voters.
Participants in the discussion point out that all parties are involved, since each one sends out its own envelopes. The absence of official complaints suggests that this is a tolerated or even coordinated practice.
Ballot rigging or simple monitoring? The two readings
Some comments argue that this does not constitute ballot rigging, but rather an attempt to know the result before the official count. They claim that postal votes cannot be massively manipulated without evidence leaking out. A more sceptical view holds that the possibility of identifying votes opens the door to coercion and fraud in small municipalities, where social pressure is intense.
The circulated image clearly shows the differences: the PSOE envelope is noticeably darker, while those of the PP and Vox are barely distinguishable from each other except to a trained eye. Some voters have chosen to tear open the envelope they received and use the official envelope from the polling station, which is identical for everyone.
The question that remains is whether the electoral authorities will take action on the matter or whether this practice will continue to be an open secret in Spanish democracy. For now, the parties' silence is the only answer.
Related discussions in the forum
In the recent Andalusian elections in Spain, an image has circulated showing three voting envelopes from different parties: PSOE, PP and Vox. At first glance, the shades are different: the PSOE envelope is darker, while those of the PP and Vox show subtle variations. This detail is no coincidence. The envelopes are sent out by the parties themselves to voters, and the colour difference allows polling station officials to identify, from the electoral table, which ballot each voter has inserted.
How the marking works: party control over the vote
The practice, colloquially known as "votonteo", consists of parties sending out envelopes of different shades so that their scrutineers can roughly track the vote during election day. At polling stations, when a voter inserts the envelope, the members of the electoral board see it before it is dropped into the ballot box. If the envelopes are distinguishable, an attentive official can note down which party each person has voted for. This is especially worrying in small towns, where the vote ceases to be secret and can be used to draw up blacklists or pressure voters.
Participants in the discussion point out that all parties are involved, since each one sends out its own envelopes. The absence of official complaints suggests that this is a tolerated or even coordinated practice.
Ballot rigging or simple monitoring? The two readings
Some comments argue that this does not constitute ballot rigging, but rather an attempt to know the result before the official count. They claim that postal votes cannot be massively manipulated without evidence leaking out. A more sceptical view holds that the possibility of identifying votes opens the door to coercion and fraud in small municipalities, where social pressure is intense.
The circulated image clearly shows the differences: the PSOE envelope is noticeably darker, while those of the PP and Vox are barely distinguishable from each other except to a trained eye. Some voters have chosen to tear open the envelope they received and use the official envelope from the polling station, which is identical for everyone.
The question that remains is whether the electoral authorities will take action on the matter or whether this practice will continue to be an open secret in Spanish democracy. For now, the parties' silence is the only answer.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (13 replies).
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