How many envelopes are there to vote in the general elections and what color is each one?

• General elections in Spain 2023: last minute of the polling stations, voting news and polls, live today
• Electoral program of the PP | electoral program of the PSOE | Sumar electoral program | Vox electoral program
• Pedro Sanchez | Alberto Núñez Feijóo | Santiago Abascal | Yolanda Diaz

There is nothing left to go to the polls for the general elections on July 23. Uncertainty and tension are very common feelings at this time, since the candidate who will hold the post of Prime Minister for the next four years will be chosen. However, it will not be the only issue on which a decision will be made..

An essential element that many citizens overlook is knowing what is voted for in the elections. Apart from knowing what the electoral program of the different parties that are running for the elections is, it is essential to be aware of what type of voting is involved and what exactly the voters will choose this Sunday. In this case, not only will it be decided who will be the president of the Government during the next legislature. Spaniards will also be summoned to the polls to find out who will occupy the seats of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, that is, the members that make up the legislative power of Spain.

These organizations will be chosen by means of two ballot papers, which will be placed in two different envelopes.. The deputies of the Congress, made up of 350 seats, will be elected with white envelopes and ballots. The candidacies of the political parties for this institution appear on closed lists, which means that the voter votes exclusively for the party and not for individuals from various political forces.. On the other hand, we have the sepia-colored ballots and envelopes, which are intended for the election of the members of the Senate. There are 265 total members of the organization and its election system varies with respect to that of Congress, since, in this case, the citizen can choose specific individuals from different political formations through an open list..

How and when to vote in the general elections

Election day will begin this Sunday, July 23 at 9:00 a.m.. The polling stations will open earlier so that citizens who have been called to form part of the polling station can prepare sufficiently in advance to face the day in the best possible conditions.. Citizens who want to vote may do so from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., when the polls will remain open.

The population must identify themselves through their ID, their passport or their driving license. These documents must contain a photo of the voter in question. An example of material that would not be worth presenting is the receipt of the DNI processing, since it lacks an image. In case of voting by mail, the citizen is excluded from going to the polls that day.

It should be added that there are two types of votes: valid (including blank votes) and null. These must have one of the following characteristics:

• Use envelopes or ballots other than the official ones
• The ballot does not have an envelope
• An envelope contains several ballots from different parties (if you have several from the same party, it counts as a single vote)
• Use an official but altered envelope
• The ballot has names of candidates added, crossed out or modified, their order has been changed or something more than the simple mark of the chosen ones has been written on it
• The Senate ballot features more candidates selected than are elected in the province in which the vote is cast

The voter must avoid the previous points if he wants his vote to influence the result of the elections, in addition to making sure that he has inserted the ballots in their corresponding envelopes.. The knowledge about what is chosen this Sunday will allow the citizen to vote with greater propriety.