Elections 4 March: how to vote? 7-Point Guide

Everything you need to know about how the ballot paper is made, where you have to put the crosses and how the Rosatellum works whoever enters the cabin carrying their mobile phone with them.

On Sunday 4 March, between 7 and 23, people vote throughout Italy for political elections. Yes, but how? Answering this question is not easy: you need to know the Rosatellum, know how the electoral ballot is made and what the new rules are. Furthermore, those who live in Lombardy and Lazio must keep in mind that they also vote to renew the regional councils and elect new governors.

Here is a brief guide with everything you need to know before going to the polling station.

1) ROSATELLUM AND BARRIER THRESHOLDS

Based on new electoral law, MPs are elected with a mixed system:

Two thirds with the proportional. In plurinominal constituencies each party wins a number of seats proportional to the votes received by its individual list or by the coalition to which it belongs. The election takes place following the order of presentation in the list, which includes from a minimum of two to a maximum of four names.
A third with the majority. In each single-member constituency, several candidates compete (one for each party or coalition) and the seat up for grabs goes to the one who gets the most votes.

There are also two thresholds: 3% for individual parties and 10% for coalitions. Warning: if a party gets between 1 and 3% it receives no seats, but its votes go to the coalition it belongs to. Below 1%, however, the votes are dispersed.

2) THE CARDS

The elector receives two ballots, a pink one for the House and a yellow one for the Senate. Each ballot contains the names of the candidates in the single-member constituency of the elector's area of residence. They are written large, inside a rectangle. Immediately below are one or more symbols: they are those of the parties (or of the party) that support the single-member candidate. Next to the symbols are indicated (in smaller characters) the names of the candidates that make up the proportional list of each party.

3) HOW TO VOTE

For each ballot the voter has three possibilities:

Put a cross only on the party symbol. In this way the vote will go both to the proportional list of the chosen party and to the candidate supported by the same party in the single-member constituency.
Put two crosses, one on the symbol of the party and one on the name of the candidate for the single-member constituency supported by the same party. Nothing changes compared to the first case.
Put a cross only on the name of the candidate for the single-member constituency. In this way the vote will go to him and to all the parties that support him in proportion to the votes obtained by each in the constituency.

4) NO SEPARATE VOTE

Attention: the ballot is canceled if the candidate and party voted belong to different coalitions. Basically, as clarified in the previous point, putting two crosses on the same card is useless, but if you really want to do it, both must be in the box of the same coalition. For example, it is not allowed to vote simultaneously for the Democratic Party list and the Forza Italia candidate, or for Leu's list and the 5 Star Movement candidate.

5) DO NOT INSERT CARDS INTO THE CASE

The Rosatellum provides that ballot papers are provided with an anti-fraud coupon with an alphanumeric code which is noted down upon delivery to the voter. It serves to avoid a rather simple and widespread scam in the past: a criminal gives a ballot that has already been marked to the voter, who, upon payment, inserts it into the ballot box, returning to the criminal the untouched ballot that he received at the polling station. From this year it will no longer be possible, because the president of the polling station will insert the ballot into the ballot box, who will first have to detach the coupon and check that it corresponds to the one noted, in order to ascertain that the ballot has not been replaced.

6) ENTERING THE CAR WITH THE PHONE IS A CRIME

It is not permitted to enter the voting booth with a mobile phone. Anyone who does so is committing an offense punishable by a fine of up to 15 thousand euros. The Cassation has specified that the rule applies even if there are no signs at the polling station reminding us of this prohibition or if the president of the polling station forgets to warn us. The goal of the law is clear: to prevent voters from selling their votes. In fact, a photo of the marked ballot would be enough to demonstrate that you voted in a certain way and receive compensation in return.

7) REGIONAL ELECTIONS

In Lombardy and Lazio you also receive a ballot for electing the presidents of the Region and the members of the regional councils. You can cross out the name of the candidate for governor or the symbol of a list linked to him. In this case, split voting is also permitted, ie a cross on the name of a presidential candidate and another on a list not connected to him. Up to two preferences can be expressed for the board, as long as it is a man and a woman.

In the meantime, there is no need to worry about it. ”