The Zone Electoral Boards (JEZ) have begun to process the thousands of allegations that have been presented by the citizens designated for the electoral tables of 23J. Only in the capital Madrid more than 5,000 excuses have been received in less than five days.
A flood of applications that began to be submitted last week and whose resolution is published five days after the allegation was registered.
As a novelty, this year – given that the general elections coincide with the summer vacation period – the possibility of being exempted from the table is contemplated if a vacation package has been contracted before the electoral call, which was on May 30.
“It has been a recurring allegation,” the secretary of the Madrid Zone Board, José Gayo, told EFE, who also advanced that many of these allegations have been dismissed “because they were poorly founded or documented and some were much later than the date of the summons”.
However, not all excuses are tied to the holidays. The profile of people who present allegations in Madrid capital is varied, from retirees to young people, including pregnant women.
Pedro Lafuente has gone to the JEZ in Madrid with the excuse of being over 65, one of the clearest requirements for not being present at the polling station.
“In a certain way I have felt flattered because they have remembered me… I had never been touched,” he told EFE while Jesús, middle-aged, explained that he has asked to be absent from the table as a substitute because he has been on leave for almost a year for five arm injuries.
“I was delighted. It’s the first time it’s my turn, but of course one is limited and I had to make this decision,” he says.
The secretary of the Madrid Zone Board points out that the rest of the alleged excuses are usually from people who have to care for dependents, whether they are adults or children, or who have a recognized disability. Also pregnant women, lactating or hospitalized citizens.
This is the case of Julián’s son, who has been selected for the table for the first time but will not be able to attend because he is hospitalized: “unless an ambulance goes to pick him up and take him to the polling station,” he jokes.
“Compared to the 2019 elections, I think we are at a slightly higher number of allegations than on that occasion at this point,” says Gayo after adding that, in relation to the municipal and regional elections on May 28, the number of excuses has also grown.
He comments that citizens go to the office “with a good disposition” although he remembers that the majority of excuses have been sent electronically through the applications that have been enabled for this purpose.
“I am deaf”, “I have to take care of my son”, “I have a scheduled trip”, are other of the 350 allegations that are presented on average in the JEZ of Madrid in the mornings, according to Devi, administrative assistant of the Delegation. of Government that works in this board.
However, it indicates that the number is going down because the first allegations were from presidents and members and now they receive excuses from the substitutes.
The secretary of the Madrid Zone also points out that no more staff have been hired despite the forecast that there may be a “considerable increase” in excuses in the coming days and recalls that office hours are uninterrupted and that the staff of administration combines this work with his usual work.
The presentation of allegations lasts just five minutes, which is how long it takes to present the documentation, and later it will be estimated or dismissed by the corresponding personnel.
In the event that all the excuses of the same polling station are considered, both president and members and substitutes, Gayo warns: “some of those who went to vote would be chosen to make the table.”
Since the interested party receives the notification to be part of the table, they have a period of seven days to present allegations. If subsequently any of the designated persons could not attend, she should notify the JEZ at least 72 hours before the electoral appointment.
