Andalusia votes this Sunday, May 17, and on the eve of the regional elections, one of the most frequent doubts is what happens if the ballot is inserted incorrectly, if the envelope is empty, or if several ballots appear inside the same envelope.
The answer is not always intuitive. In the elections for the Parliament of Andalusia, an empty envelope is considered a blank vote. An envelope with ballots from different candidacies is considered a null vote. And an envelope with several ballots from the same candidacy remains valid, although it is counted as a single vote. The Junta de Andalucía states that a blank vote is valid and that ballots from different candidacies within the same envelope make the vote null.
The key is simple: a blank vote participates in the count as a valid vote, although it is not assigned to any party; a null vote is excluded from the distribution of seats; and a valid vote for a candidacy does count towards the chosen list.
What is a valid vote in the Andalusian elections
A vote is valid when it is cast according to legal requirements. In practice, it can be of two types: a vote for a candidacy or a blank vote. This is explained in the official information for the 2026 elections to the Parliament of Andalusia.
To vote correctly, the elector must insert the ballot of the candidacy they wish to support into the corresponding official envelope and deposit it in the ballot box at their polling station. The voter's intention must be clear and there should be no alterations, written messages, cross-outs, or elements unrelated to the process.
If several ballots from the same candidacy appear in the envelope, the vote is not annulled. It is understood that the elector's intention is unequivocal and it is counted as a single valid vote.
What is a blank vote
A blank vote occurs when the elector deposits an official empty envelope in the ballot box, without any ballot inside. It is a valid vote, it is counted as a blank vote, but it is not attributed to any candidacy.
This point is important because a blank vote is not the same as abstention or a null vote. Those who vote blank participate in the election and their vote is included in the total valid votes. Those who abstain do not vote. And those who cast a null vote deposit a vote that has no electoral validity.
The blank vote does not "go" to any party. It is not distributed among the most voted parties. But by counting as a valid vote, it can influence the threshold for entering the distribution of seats, especially for small candidacies that are close to the minimum required in a province.
What is a null vote
A null vote is one that does not meet legal conditions. The Junta de Andalucía considers votes cast in unofficial envelopes or ballots, ballots without envelopes, altered envelopes, and ballots in which the name of candidates has been modified, added, or crossed out, their order changed, or any legend or expression included, to be null.
A vote is also null when there are ballots from different candidacies within the same envelope. This is one of the most common errors: if someone puts a ballot from the PP and another from the PSOE, or one from Vox and another from Por Andalucía, for example, the vote is not distributed or interpreted. It is annulled.
Nor is it valid to introduce objects, notes, messages, or extraneous elements inside the envelope. In such cases, the Electoral Board may declare the vote null.
What happens if you put two ballots in the same envelope
It depends on whether they are the same or different. If you put two or more ballots from the same candidacy, the vote is valid and is counted as a single vote for that party. The reason is that the voter's intention is clear. If you put ballots from different candidacies, the vote is null. There is no legal way to know which option was chosen, so it counts for no one.
It is a small but decisive difference. Putting two identical ballots is an error without serious consequences. Putting two different ballots leaves the vote out of the valid count.
What happens if you write something on the ballot
If the ballot is written on, crossed out, altered, or modified voluntarily, the vote may be declared null. Electoral regulations seek to ensure that the vote is clear, clean, and attributable to a candidacy without interpretation.
This affects handwritten messages, cross-outs, drawings, changes in the order of candidates, or any additions that alter the official ballot.
The practical recommendation is simple: do not write anything, do not mark anything, do not fold the ballot in a strange way with visible messages, and do not introduce any object into the envelope.
Is an expired ID valid for voting?
Yes. To vote in person, you must identify yourself to the Electoral Board with an original document with a photograph. The Junta de Andalucía indicates that a DNI, passport, or driver's license with a photograph can be used. And it adds an important nuance: it does not matter if they are expired, as long as they are original documents. Photocopies are not valid.
What is not valid is the receipt for a DNI in process, because it does not include a photograph. That is, an expired DNI can be valid; a renewal receipt, no.
This point is worth emphasizing because it causes a lot of confusion. To vote, the Board must be able to verify the elector's identity with an original official document with an image.
Who decides if a vote is null
The decision rests exclusively with the Electoral Board, formed by the president and the members. They are the ones who assess the validity or nullity of each vote during the count.
Null votes must be kept in case of subsequent claims or appeals. This allows for a review of the decisions made during the count if any candidate representative lodges a protest.
Therefore, an observer, a proxy, or a party does not decide. They can make observations or claims, but the initial decision rests with the Board.
Difference between a blank vote, a null vote, and abstention
A blank vote is casting an empty envelope. It is valid, it is counted, but it is not assigned to any party.
A null vote is voting incorrectly: ballots from different parties, altered ballot, unofficial envelope, ballot without an envelope, written messages, or extraneous items. It is not valid and is excluded from the distribution.
Abstention is not voting. No envelope is deposited and, therefore, it is not included in the electoral count. In summary: a blank vote counts as a valid vote; a null vote does not count for the distribution; abstention does not even enter the ballot box.
How a blank vote affects the distribution of seats
A blank vote is not awarded to any party, but it is part of the valid votes. This can have an effect on the electoral threshold, because candidacies need to exceed a minimum number of valid votes in each constituency to be included in the distribution of seats.
In practical terms, a blank vote can make it difficult for small parties that are very close to the threshold to enter. Not because those votes are given to large parties, but because they increase the total number of valid votes on which percentages are calculated.
That is why it is imprecise to say that the blank vote "is taken" by the winner. Nobody takes it. But it can have indirect effects on electoral arithmetic.
How to vote correctly in the 17M Andalusian elections
To avoid problems, the safest thing is to follow a very simple guideline. Check your polling station, bring an original document with a photo, choose only one ballot paper, put it in the official envelope, and deposit it in the ballot box when the Board confirms your identity.
If you bring the vote prepared from home, check before leaving that the envelope contains only the ballot paper you want to vote for. If you take the ballot paper at the polling station, make sure it corresponds to the chosen candidacy.
And if any ballot paper is missing at the polling station, you can notify the president of the Board. The official information reminds that ballot papers for any candidacy cannot be missing at the polling stations and that, if it happens, the anomaly must be corrected.