A puzzling incident around mail-in voting surfaced in the town of Callosa de Segura, with 144 ballots submitted by mail and later deemed invalid by the polling stations involved in Callosa del Segura or within the Orihuela Electoral College. The local political landscape saw the Municipality’s People’s Party filing a formal request with the Provincial Election Board. The appeal highlighted that residents who intended to cast their vote by mail had successfully completed and mailed their ballots, yet those ballots were not treated as valid votes. In this context, ballots associated with Callosa d’en Sarrià were brought into focus as a potential source of confusion about electoral eligibility and process.
Observers and supporters of various political groups warned that the situation could lead to a misinterpretation of the electoral process and potentially affect all parties participating in the elections scheduled for the upcoming Sunday. With this concern in mind, a request was made to the Alicante National Institute of Statistics Census Bureau to verify the scope of the issue. According to the bureau, the problem involved a single mail submission consisting of a 144-vote batch, which had raised questions about the handling and validation of mailed ballots.
Subsequently, the Popular Party urged the Election Board to recognize that voters registered in Callosa de Segura should be treated as eligible for mail voting, even though the ballots in question appeared to belong to the candidacy of Callosa d’en Sarrià. The argument rests on the premise that the act of voting by mail by residents of Callosa de Segura was completed in good faith, and the appearance of the ballot under another candidacy should not invalidate the legitimate choice of the voter. This stance emphasizes the need for clear rules and consistent application to avoid disenfranchisement and ensure the integrity of the voting process.
The party argued that declaring these ballots invalid would not only create confusion but also risk serious repercussions for Callosa de Segura. It could impede candidates who rely on mail voting as a legitimate pathway to participate in the process, potentially disenfranchising voters who respected the rules and cast their ballots correctly. The broader concern centers on ensuring that all eligible residents can exercise their voting rights without being penalized due to administrative errors or misinterpretations during handling and tallying.