Participation in Castile and León rises to 12.46% in the first advance of the election day
The regional elections of Castilla y León have begun this Sunday with a first participation figure higher than that recorded in the previous elections. According to the official update published at 11:30 a.m., participation reaches 12.46% of the electoral roll, compared to 11.30% that was recorded at the same time in the 2022 elections.
This increase represents more than one percentage point rise at the start of the election day, an indicator that analysts usually interpret as a sign of greater mobilization of the electorate in the first hours of voting.
In absolute terms, the advance reflects 56,010 voters counted up to that moment, within a community where more than two million citizens are called to vote to elect the 82 procurators of the Cortes of Castilla y León.
Comparison with the elections of Castilla y León of 2022
The participation data at 11:30 AM is the first of the three official updates published during election day and allows comparing the voting pace with that recorded in previous elections.
In 2022, participation evolved in the following way during the day:
- 11:30 hours: 11.30%
- 14:00 hours: 34.73%
- 18:00 hours: 51.62%
The figure of 12.46% registered in 2026 places participation 1.16 points above the start of the previous election day, which could anticipate a day with greater voter mobilization, although experts recall that differences in the first advances are not always maintained throughout the day.
Burgos, León and Zamora register the largest increases in participation
The increase in participation compared to 2022 is observed in practically all the provinces of Castile and Leon, although with significant territorial differences.
Among the provinces with the greatest increase, stand out:
- Zamora: 12.72% (+2.02 points)
- León: 11.73% (+1.72 points)
- Soria: 13.69% (+1.49 points)
- Palencia: 12.69% (+1.45 points)
- Burgos: 12.63% (+1.39 points)
Also register moderate increases:
- Segovia: 13.56% (+1.33 points)
- Valladolid: 12.70% (+0.80 points)
- Salamanca: 12.11% (+0.42 points)
- Ávila: 11.94% (+0.04 points)
These data reflect a generalized rise in voting in the first hours, especially in provinces with lower population density, where traditionally early voting tends to be higher.
More than two million electors called to the polls
In these regional elections, more than two million citizens in Castile and León are called to vote, distributed in thousands of polling stations across the nine provinces of the community.
Voters will elect the 82 procurators of the autonomous Cortes, who will determine the composition of the next regional parliament and the political balance of the community for the next legislature.
Three key moments during the election day
Throughout the day, three official participation advances will be published, which will allow following the evolution of the vote during the day:
- 11:30 hours: first participation update
- 14:00 hours: second update
- 18:00 hours: third update before polling stations close
Starting at 8:00 p.m., with the closing of the polling stations, the vote count will begin, which will determine the final distribution of seats in the Cortes of Castilla y León.