Parliamentary Election Procedure in Spain

In accordance with Spain's constitution from 1978, the parliament is the supreme legislative body in the country and consists of an upper and lower chamber the Senate and Congress of Deputies, respectively. Members of both houses are elected to four-year terms.

In accordance with the General Electoral Regime Act, which was approved in 1985, elections for both houses can be held on the same or on different days, but have historically been held on the same day for convenience. The date of the general elections is set by a royal decree.

For the Cortes Generales to be dissolved, a royal decree must be issued, which then must be approved by the president of the Congress of Deputies. Following the approval, a snap election must be called.

The Congress is meant to have a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 400 people, depending on the country's composition. Currently, the Congress is made up of 350 representatives.

Each of the 50 provinces of Spain is represented by at least two deputies. The two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla have another two single-member representatives in the legislature. The remaining 248 representatives are elected proportionally by the constituency.

Parties, federations, coalitions and electors' groups may present candidates. The seats are assigned to the electoral lists in each constituency in approximate proportion to the number of votes each received in the elections.

The 1985 General Electoral Regime Act established a 3 percent electoral threshold in order for parties to participate in the seat distribution for a constituency, however, this applies to provinces that elect at least 24 representatives Madrid and Barcelona whereas smaller Constituencies require much greater percentages to compete for a seat.

Spain's Senate is constitutionally described as a territorial chamber and is endowed with exceptional powers, such as authorizing Spain's government to apply direct rule or dissolve city councils.

Each of Spain's mainland provinces is equally represented by four senators. Ceuta and Melilla elect two senators each. Residents of the Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Mallorca islands elect three senators. Other islands, such as Ibiza, Menorca and La Gomera, elect one senator.

A total of 208 senators are elected using the system, with an additional 58 senators elected by selecting one senator for each autonomous community and another for every millionth person in the country.

Since the passing of a gender equality law in 2007, at least 40 percent of the selections for party election lists are required to be female.

A candidate may not be represented in more than one constituency and simultaneously run for both Congress and the Senate. No one from the royal family, nor judicial authorities such as judges or prosecutors as well as military, security services or police personnel may run in the elections.

Election campaigns start on the 38th day after the general elections are announced and finish at midnight on the day of the elections.

Parties, coalitions and electoral groups have the right to receive a certain amount of broadcasting time on government television channels and radio stations to promote their campaigns.

Time slots are allotted based on how many votes the party, federation or coalition received during the previous elections. If a party did not receive any votes or did not participate in the previous election, it receives 10 minutes of broadcasting time. If a party received less than 5 percent of the votes it gets 15 minutes. If a party received 5-20 percent of the overall votes, it is entitled to 30 minutes of broadcasting time, and any party that got over 20 percent, receives 45 minutes of air time.

Lawmakers to the Cortes are elected through universal, free, equal direct and secret suffrage. Any Spanish citizen over the age of 18 who has not been ruled by a court to be legally incompetent is eligible to vote. Voting is voluntary.

Voting is held from 9:00 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT) to 8:00 p.m.

To cast a vote, a person must go to the polling station on the day of the vote with their passport or another identifying document. They will receive several ballot papers from a designated staff member of the polling place that lists the candidates to the Congress and Senate. Once the individual has made a decision and marked it on the paper, they place it into a colored envelope and drop it into the corresponding ballot box. Any unsanctioned markings on the paper will disqualify the vote.

Any voters who reside within Spain but are unable to show up to the polling place in person may cast their vote via mail by making the corresponding arrangements.

Spanish citizens who live outside of the country can also vote, but must inform the Spanish government of their intent at least five days before the vote by mailing in their proof of residence, a photocopy of their passport and proof of voter registration.

Spanish citizens who are unable to read or write, are visually impaired or have any other reasonable cause that prevents them from voting directly in the elections may designate another individual to vote for them with prior approval from the electoral commission.