Polling Stations are part of the Electoral Administration, together with the Electoral Commissions.
The Polling Station is responsible for presiding over the election, supervising the voting process, and counting and tallying the votes.
The Polling Station consists of a Presiding Officer and two members.
The appointment of the members of the Polling Station is the responsibility of each City Council, and they are chosen by the Municipal Plenary through a public draw, using any random procedure or mechanism. There is no objection to the draw being carried out before the Local Government Commission if the City Council Plenary has delegated this power to it, provided that it is carried out in a public meeting.
The draw will take place among all the members of the Section who are under 70 years of age and able to read and write, with the possibility of resigning within seven days at the age of 65. Persons who reach the age of majority between the drawing up of the electoral roll and the vote shall be excluded.
The Presiding Officer must have a Baccalaureate or Secondary Vocational Certificate or, alternatively, a School Leaving Certificate or equivalent.
Two alternates shall be appointed for each person who is a member of the Polling Station (two for each member and two alternates for the Presiding Officer of the Polling Station).
For the elections of 28 May 2023, the draws will take place between 29 April and 3 May 2023. The persons nominated by the Municipal Plenary will be notified of their election to the Polling Station during the three days following the draw, i.e. between 29 April and 3 May. If this takes place later, the delay will not invalidate the nomination.
An instruction manual for Polling Station members will be provided with the notification.
The appointment of a person as a member of the Polling Station for one electoral process does not imply continuity for the next electoral process, although there is nothing to prevent that person from being re-elected by lot in successive electoral processes.