They are not usually the protagonists on election day, which is always a good sign because their role is to prevent electoral fraud or irregularities from occurring. However, their presence for these 28M is scarce, and some parties even have to turn to social networks to find volunteers willing to cooperate with the polls on the last Sunday in May.
The party’s proxies and auditors play a fundamental role in colleges when it comes to supervising and verifying the proper functioning of the process and ensuring that citizens exercise their democratic rights with guarantees.
According to Irene Belmonte, professor of Political Science and Management at Miguel Hernández University, “they are notaries who demonstrate that elections are lawful.” While the representatives authorized by the parties can monitor what is going on in the different colleges, they cannot “interfere with the decisions of the table”, this task corresponds to the chairman and the members.
When it comes to knowing whether they can be decisive in the upcoming elections, such as at the next 28M, Belmonte points out that “the votes of the voters are what counts” and that “confidence” is necessary. in those who make up the table, who have received prior training and act impartially.
The professor argues that these verification mechanisms “are very positive because they mean that the selection process in our country operates with significant control and quality.” Although he warned that they did not exceed their duties: “They are there to watch, not to intervene. If they even try to influence an undecided person’s vote, they could be expelled.”
vision of heroes
From PSPV, they stress that the importance of deputies and auditors is “key” both for their work in monitoring the administration of the table they are conducting on the spot, and for the work they do when it comes to informing voters about electoral colleges. If you have any questions about the voting process. They also state that by living in the area where the polling station is located, they serve as reference agents for voters and as indicators of knowing about election day mobility.
Another point that the socialists want to underline is that during the elections it is often the deputies and the officials themselves who do the work of the deputies, and they “full participate” in both the party and the election day.
On the front bench, the popular ones are confident in the number of supports. Although it has been revealed that even the big traditional parties have serious problems in filling the ballot box tables, the People’s Party argues that it will receive the support of more than 20 thousand volunteers in the next elections. Those at Carlos Mazón hope to have proxies and auditors on a significant number of electoral boards; this is a goal that can be complex for them, even in some large municipalities, as in other entities.
In Ciudadanos, they are confident that there are more than 700 deputies in autonomy, although many of their candidates and advisers have jumped to the PP. On the other hand, they acknowledge that they will not take over the duties of controllers for the 28M elections.
While Liberals generally think that “there is enough respect between the parties at almost all polls”, they affirm that the volunteers “have a presence role in the Valencian Community’s electoral colleges that ensures everything is okay”. . Of course, they also have the role of “visibility, that the party is there and that they can help any citizen who has the usual doubts about the picture that comes to them”.
support of government
Compromís indicates that the number of volunteers it hopes to count on in the next regional elections is around 3,000.
The Valencia coalition points out that there are still two weeks left to increase this figure and does not rule out that it will increase significantly. For formation, both deputies and interveners represent the fulfillment of a citizen’s right that is positive for democracy.
In the Unides Podem, they guarantee they will have at least one deputy per electoral college at the 28M appointment, though most polling stations claim several people will attend. A figure that they cannot determine at the moment, as the registration period is still open.
The purple coalition is one of those using social networks to solicit the support of the volunteers who played this role in the elections. And he did so at the state level through the formation’s heavyweight figures like Minister Irene Montero or Pablo Echenique.
The group points out that in a “mature electoral system” the role of auditors and proxies is very limited because there is no major corruption to be avoided. However, they affirm that their presence is important when it comes to preventing errors in voting records and any careless or malicious acts that involve concealing any candidate’s ballot papers.
To avoid these situations, they point out that volunteers collaborating with Unides Podem can attend a training day that allows them to learn about the main mistakes that can be made at polling stations and how to avoid them. The purple ones also emphasize that their participation was irrelevant, as neither Podemos nor Esquerra Unida paid for their performances: “An example of commitment to democracy,” they conclude.
Vox emphasizes their own figure as a “fundamental pillar” for education, as they are tasked with preventing manipulations and “anti-democratic actions by agents against the will of the Spanish people.”
In formation, they disagree with the reading that the election context will be changed: «We believe that citizens want and need a change in the Generalitat, but if there were, for many Vox this is an obstacle when it comes to imposing your program.”