On Sunday 4rd and Monday 12th October XNUMX million Italians are called to the polls for local elections in over a thousand Municipalities. Among these, six regional capitals: Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Bologna and Trieste. In Calabria we are also voting for the new president of the Region, after the untimely death of the governor Jole Santelli.
1) ADMINISTRATIVE ELECTIONS 2021: WHEN TO VOTE?
In the Regions with ordinary statute and in Friuli Venezia Giulia, the polls will be held on Sunday 3 October, from 7 to 23, and on Monday 4, from 7 to 15. The ballots will be held on 17 and 18 October and the times will be the same as the first shift.
In the Regions with a special statute, however, the calendar is different. In Sicily and Sardinia, voting takes place on Sunday 10 and Monday 11 October (at the same times as for the Regions with ordinary statute) and the run-off will be on 24 and 25 October.
In Trentino Alto Adige we go to the polls on 10 October for the first round and 24 for the second.
For municipalities dissolved due to mafia infiltration, the date is 7 November, with a possible ballot on 21 November.
2) WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO VOTE?
Two: an identity document and the electoral card. In the event of loss or exhaustion of the spaces for the stamps confirming the vote on the electoral card, a duplicate must be requested from the electoral office of the Municipality of residence, which will issue it on sight.
3) HOW DO YOU VOTE IN THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS?
If you tick the box with the name of the candidate for mayor, the vote goes only to him.
If, on the other hand, the symbol of a list is crossed out, the vote goes both to the list and to the mayor supported by that list.
The voter can also indicate two preferences for candidates for City Council, provided they are a man and a woman, otherwise the second preference is cancelled.
Only in Municipalities with over 15 inhabitants (the same ones where double shifts are envisaged) can separate votes be cast, placing one mark on the candidate for mayor and another on a list not connected to him.
4) DO I NEED THE GREEN PASS TO VOTE?
No, but the anti-contagion rules must still be respected: sanitized hands, mask and safety distance.
5) ARE THERE DISCOUNTS ON TRAINS TO GO TO VOTE?
Yes. For those returning to their municipality of residence, Ferrovie dello Stato guarantees a discount of 70% of the base price for national medium-long distance trains, while the reduction for regional trains is 60%. The only condition is that the departure takes place between 24 September and 4 October and the return between 3 and 14 October. On the outward journey an identity document and electoral card must be shown, while on the return journey it will be necessary to demonstrate that one voted.
6) CAN PEOPLE WHO ARE IN HOSPITAL VOTE?
Yes, if the healthcare facility is located in the municipality. However, a declaration must be presented to the Mayor in which the will to vote is expressed in the hospital for a certificate from the medical director certifying hospitalization. The declaration, to be forwarded via the administrative director or the secretary of the health institute, must reach the Municipality at least three days before the vote.
7) AND WHO IS ADVISED IN THE COVID DEPARTMENTS?
Also in this case, the only condition is to have residence in the municipality where the health facility is located. In hospitals with at least 100 beds, voting takes place in the hospital sections, otherwise the vote is collected in special polling stations.
8) WHAT DO YOU RISK BY BRINGING YOUR PHONE INTO THE ELECTORAL BOX?
Three years ago, the Cassation fined a 15-year-old man with a fine of 77 euros who had photographed the ballot paper with a mobile phone.
9) IN CASE OF ERROR, CAN THE CARD BE CORRECTED?
Yes. According to the most recent jurisprudence, the voter who realizes he has made a mistake can ask the chairman of the polling station to replace the ballot to repeat the operation.
10) CAN MINORS ENTER THE BILLING BOOTH WITH THEIR PARENTS?
No: the voter must enter the voting booth alone.
For further clarification consult the FAQ on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.
