There are 12 million Italians called to vote on Sunday 3 and Monday 4 October for the first round of administrative elections to elect mayors and municipal councils. There are 1349 municipalities to vote including 6 regional capitals: Milan, Rome, Bologna, Naples, Turin and Trieste. There are also 14 provincial capitals: Benevento, Carbonia, Caserta, Cosenza, Grosseto, Isernia, Latina, Novara, Pordenone, Ravenna, Rimini, Salerno, Savona and Varese. In Calabria there is a vote to elect the president of the region.
There are by-elections of the Chamber in the colleges of Siena (Tuscany 12) and Rome (Primavalle).
WHEN YOU VOTE
The polling stations are open on Sunday 3 October from 7 to 23 and Monday 4 from 7 to 15. The counting will begin when the polls close. The eventual second round is scheduled for 17 and 18 October at the same times.
There are different opening hours for the polling stations regions with special status. In Sicily and Sardinia the first round is set for Sunday 10 and Monday 11 October, the ballots for 24 and 25. In Trentino Alto Adige you can vote in a single day: first round on 10 October and second on 24.
WHO VOTES
Anyone registered on the electoral lists of the Municipality of residence with 18 years of age by 3 October can vote. At the polling station you must bring your electoral card and an identity document. If there are no more spaces for stamps or if the card has been lost, a duplicate must be requested from the electoral office of the municipality.
THE RULES AT THE SEAT
The use of a mask is mandatory for anyone entering the seat. It can only be removed upon identification. It is the voter who has to put the ballot in the ballot box. There must be at least one meter of distance between the people inside the seat, it becomes two if the mask is removed. Entering the seat you have to sanitize your hands and leave it. In the first round, the Green Pass is not required for seat members. On the other hand, the second becomes necessary because those who serve in the polling stations are assimilated to civil servants.
HOW TO VOTE
You vote differently based on the number of inhabitants of the municipality. The system is in the majority everywhere. In municipalities with more than 15,000 inhabitants there is a double shift, in smaller ones there is a single shift. In cities with more than 15,000 inhabitants, the candidate who gets 50% plus one of the votes wins in the first round, otherwise it goes to the ballot between the two most voted. In smaller municipalities, the candidate who obtains the highest number of votes wins, an absolute majority is not needed.
Voters can express their opinion preference making a cross on the candidate’s name. The vote goes exclusively to the candidate. If, on the other hand, you put the cross on a list, the vote automatically goes to the candidate you support. Separate voting is possible in municipalities with more than 15,000 inhabitants: you can choose a candidate for mayor and a list that supports another.
A maximum of two preferences can be expressed for candidates for the municipal council: a man and a woman, otherwise the preference is considered null. In larger municipalities there is a threshold of barrage 3% to enter the city council and a majority premium of 60% of the seats for the lists linked to the elected mayor. In those with less than 5,000 inhabitants, the preference is unique.
TRAVEL FACILITIES
Trenitalia and Italo offer discounted rates for returning to the municipalities of residence. Trenitalia offers a 70% discount on the base price for national medium-long distance trains and 60% for the Regionals. The reduction for Italo is 60%. The departure must take place between September 24th and October 4th, the return between September 3rd and 14th. When buying the ticket, identity documents and electoral cards must be shown, on return you must prove that you have voted. Ferries connecting with the islands offer a 60% discount. Alitalia applies a discount on the air ticket for a domestic flight equal to 40 euros, applicable to the return ticket fare if it exceeds 40 euros, excluding taxes and surcharges. For Italian voters residing abroad, the toll is not paid on the entire national network.
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