Today, Sunday February 14, the regional elections take place in Catalonia . This day is the third held during the coronavirus pandemic, after those of the Basque Country and Galicia, so a series of additional measures will be taken to guarantee the safety of both voters and members of the polling stations.
The Generalitat has produced a guide, supervised by the Electoral Board , to explain to both polling station members and voters everything they need to know about voting. What do i need to bring? If I am a member of one of the tables, will I have to wear a mask or will I be given one upon arrival? Apart from the DNI, will I have to present something else?
Information for voters
As on any electoral day, citizens who go to the polls to exercise their right to vote must carry their National Identity Document (DNI) or, failing that, a passport or driving license with the holder’s photograph. However, contrary to what happens in normal elections, this time the members of the table will not be able to take the card. The voter must deposit it on a tray and lower the mask to be identified in the event that they request it.
On the other hand, to avoid contagion, masks will be essential . You will not be able to access a polling station without adequate face protection.
Anyone who wishes can also download a mobile application in which the influx in the different polling stations will be updated in real time. In this way, unnecessary queues and crowds can be avoided.
In the event that it is necessary to move breaking with the regional or regional confinement or bypassing the curfew, the Generalitat makes a self-responsible certificate of displacement available to voters , following the provisions of the resolutions of containment measures for the coronavirus outbreak. In the certificate it is necessary to select the option ‘exercise of the right of political participation’. Travel times must be consistent with the activity schedule.
If there is no exception to confinement (Catalonia, regional, night), no document would be necessary.
Information for the members of the polling stations
Optionally and voluntarily, the holders of the table and the first substitutes will be able to take a diagnostic test for Covid-19 antigens between February 9 and 12 . The second substitutes who so wish and who duly accredit it may also do it.
Upon arrival at the electoral college, the members of the polling station will receive two FFP2 masks to be changed every four hours, which is the approximate duration of this type of face shield. In addition, they will be given a face shield , alcoholic solution for hand washing, surface disinfectant and towels or disposable tissues. For the time slot in which a greater influx of people infected by SARS-CoV-2 or in quarantine is expected, a gown or jumpsuit resistant to fluids and nitrile gloves ( Personal Protective Equipment or PPE ) will also be given.