Siena, 8 June 2024 – Just over 204 thousand Sienese called to the polls for European elections today and tomorrow, 148,661 for administrative in the 29 Municipalities who must renew the mayor and council. It’s a strange electoral round, the one that opens today, first of all due to the timing: voting has never been held on Saturday afternoon or Sunday, now we won’t say it anymore. Consequences also for the ballot: tomorrow evening at 11pm, when the polls close, it will be the turn of the European elections, from Monday at 3pm the municipal elections. A divided count also because in both cases preferences are foreseen, an element that lengthens the procedures also due to the increase in possible disputes.
If in the early hours on Monday we will therefore know the data that lends itself to a more political reading, we will have to wait until late afternoon to know the names of the new mayors or, in Poggibonsi and Colle Valdelsa, untie the knot of the possible runoff. In fact, they are the only two municipalities with over fifteen thousand inhabitants, and the only ones where separate voting is possible, which is prohibited for municipalities below that population threshold. Throughout Tuscany, 34 out of 185 municipalities are affected by this round that exceed the threshold of 15 thousand inhabitants, for a total of almost 1.4 million voters.
In the capital, voters will only receive the ballot for the European elections: there are 42,492, mostly women, 22,731, compared to 19,761 men. Fifty sections, with some changes that saw the return of some seats, three, within the schools, while one went the reverse way: section 6 moved from the University in Piazza San Francesco to the nursery in Piazzetta Don Perucatti ; section 8 from the civic center in via della Mercanzia to the Isola d’Arbia mother school; the 41 from the Ginestreto nursery to the former elementary school in Strada di Monastero; the 44 from the University in Piazza San Francesco to the Pascoli elementary school.
At the European elections it is not possible split vote and if more than one preference is expressed (the maximum is three) the same gender cannot be indicated. It is inevitable that the comparison with the policies of 2022 comes from this data, to understand the state of health of the political forces in the capital and throughout the province.
Last night the conclusion of the electoral campaign, that is, without the day of canonical silence: this is provided for by a provision of the Ministry of the Interior in the case of voting on Saturdays. It goes without saying that today the propaganda ban will be widely violated on social media, by private accounts but also by official ones or in any case by sponsored posts. There is no point in being scandalized: as there is no regulation, everyone does as they see fit.
If until yesterday it was possible to book the public transport service for the disabled, today in front of the prefecture Massimo Vita, of the Uici rebirth committee, will protest because the blind are denied the secret vote (they can in fact go in the cabin with an assistant), while not – online platforms have been developed – the association claims – to express one’s choice independently.
Also foreseen in the Municipalities openings extraordinary (in Siena in the offices in via Salicotto and at the decentralized office in via Bernardo Tolomei) to collect the electoral card, essential to be able to go to the polling stations. Polling stations will be formally installed this morning at 9am, with the preparation of the material by the presidents and scrutineers. Then the two days of voting and a night of counting the ballots (for those who only have the European elections) while Monday will also be needed for those who also have to count the results of the municipal elections. Then space for comments and scenarios that will open up for twenty-nine administrations.
