A few days before the general elections on November 29, many citizens still wonder what happens if they do not want to vote for any of the parties running in the elections. Not going to the polls, inserting an empty envelope or depositing a ballot with some irregularity are three different ways of not supporting a candidacy, but their electoral consequences are not the same either.
Blank votes, null votes, and abstention are usually related to political discontent or lack of representation. However, each of these options has a different treatment in Spanish electoral law and can have different effects on the count and the distribution of seats.
The difference is especially important in general elections, where the electoral system establishes minimum percentages for candidacies to participate in the distribution of representatives in the Congress of Deputies.
What is a blank vote and who benefits from it in elections?
A blank vote is cast when a citizen goes to their polling station but inserts an official envelope into the ballot box without any ballot inside. In elections to the Senate, a ballot on which no candidate has been marked is also considered a blank vote.
This is a completely legal option and is recognized in article 96 of the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime (LOREG). Unlike what happens with null votes, a blank vote is considered valid and is included in the count of valid votes. This difference has consequences for the distribution of seats. In elections to Congress, candidacies must obtain at least 3% of the valid votes cast in their constituency to be able to participate in the distribution of deputies.
Therefore, blank votes increase the total number of valid votes and can make it more difficult for formations with less support to reach that minimum percentage. This can indirectly favor parties that do overcome the electoral barrier, although it does not mean that these votes are automatically given to the most voted candidacy. The distribution of seats is carried out using the D'Hondt system, which distributes representatives among the candidacies that meet the requirements established by law. Its application depends on the results obtained in each constituency.
What is the difference between a spoiled vote and abstention?
A spoiled vote occurs when a ballot or envelope does not meet the requirements established by electoral legislation. That is, the citizen goes to vote, but the content introduced into the ballot box cannot be considered valid. Among the most common reasons are using a ballot that does not correspond to the official model, introducing ballots from different parties in the same envelope, or voluntarily modifying the content of a candidacy. Ballots in which expressions are added, names are crossed out, or the order of candidates is altered are also spoiled.
However, there is an exception: if two or more ballots from the same candidacy are introduced in a single envelope, the vote is considered valid and counted as one. Unlike a blank vote, a spoiled vote is not incorporated into the set of valid votes and, therefore, does not intervene in the calculation of the minimum percentage necessary to obtain representation in Congress. Although it is recorded during the scrutiny, it is not assigned to any party nor does it directly modify the distribution of seats.
For its part, abstention simply consists of not going to the polls. In Spain, the exercise of the right to vote is not mandatory, so any citizen can decide not to participate in an election. In this case, no ballot is deposited and no vote is counted. Abstention is reflected in electoral participation data, but it is not part of the valid vote count or the distribution of representatives among the candidacies.
Therefore, while the blank vote expresses participation without supporting any party, the null vote means casting a ballot that does not meet the legal conditions and abstention implies not participating in the electoral call.
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