turnout stopped at 17.6%, polling times and how to vote in the regional elections

For the regional elections in Piedmont, as well as for all other electoral events taking place today, the first data on today’s turnout is expected around 12:00. After midday, therefore, the percentage of voters who have gone to vote so far will be known. The polls will remain open until 11pm this evening, when they will close permanently. Unlike what happened in some cases in the past, it will not be possible to go and vote tomorrow.

In the regional elections in Piedmont, as also happens in several other regions, there is no possibility of going to a run-off. Regardless of the percentages achieved, the candidate who ultimately obtains the most votes will be elected president, even if he or she only had one vote more than the person who comes second. The electoral law changed in 2023, in fact, establishes that whoever wins will obtain such a number of seats in the Regional Council as to be able to have a solid majority: at least 55% of the seats, which can rise to 60% of the seats if the presidential candidate takes at least 45% of the votes.

Yes, in the regional elections in Piedmont it will also be possible to vote separately. This means that voters on the ballot will be able to put an X on the name of a presidential candidate and, if they wish, also make another X on the symbol of a list that does not support that presidential candidate. For this list, then, you can express up to two preferences, as long as they are for a man and a woman (and not two men or two women).

For the regional elections, Piedmont is divided into eight constituencies, which correspond to the provinces. The Turin constituency, which is the most populous, will vote to express 21 of the forty regional councilors elected by the proportional method. Then there are the constituencies of Alessandria (4 councillors), Asti (2 councillors), Biella (2 councillors), Cuneo (5 councillors), Novara (3 councillors), Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (1 councillor) and Vercelli (2 councillors).

In the regional elections, the lists must obtain at least a certain percentage of votes to obtain seats in the regional council. This threshold is set at 3% for the individual lists, which in this case are the 5 Star Movement, Libertà and Popular Piedmont, each supporting a single candidate. The threshold instead rises to 5% for coalitions, which in these elections are the center-right and the center-left.

Five candidates will compete in the Piedmont regional elections. The outgoing president, Alberto Cirio, is running again with the support of all the centre-right lists. The Democratic Party, the Green-Left Alliance and the United States of Europe (with Italia viva and +Europa, among others) instead support the former Turin councilor Gianna Pentenero. The 5 Star Movement does not participate in this coalition, but is running with its own candidate: regional councilor Sarah Disabato. The regional councilor Francesca Frediani, on the other hand, is a candidate with the popular Piedmont list. Libertà, the list founded by Cateno De Luca, supports the lawyer Alberto Costanzo.

In Piedmont there are eight constituenciesone per province: Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Turin, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Vercelli.

Here are the facsimiles of the green ballots that will be delivered (together with the gray one for the North-West constituency for the European elections):

Sample of the ballot paper in the Biella constituency

Sample of the electoral card in the Cuneo constituency

Sample of the electoral card in the Novara constituency

Sample of the electoral card in the Turin constituency

Sample of the electoral card in the constituency of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola

Sample of the ballot paper in the Vercelli constituency

In addition to the presidential candidate, you can vote for a list. It is not necessary for it to be connected to the president you want to vote for: separate voting is allowed in the regional elections, so you can vote for a list that supports a different presidential candidate. The voter, next to the symbol of the list that he has crossed out, can express a maximum of two preferences, respecting gender alternation: he cannot vote for two men or two women. In fact, with the modification of the electoral law, the lists had to respect gender equality (no more than 60% of the candidates can be of the same gender).

In addition to the gray card for the European elections for the North-West constituency, voters in Piedmont are also given a green card, where they can vote for the president and the Regional Council. The regional electoral law in 2023 has been changed: the most voted candidate is president. The winner’s coalition is assigned 55% of the seats in the Regional Council thanks to the majority bonus. The number of seats rises to 60% if it obtains more than 45% of the votes and will reach up to 64% of the seats if it is voted by 60% of the voters.

For those who do not yet have the electoral card, for those who have lost it and for those who have run out of space for stamps, today it will still be possible to go to the Municipality to collect it: just bring an identity document with you currently valid. The personal voter card is marked with a identification number and reports constituency and section numberor the office in the polling station where you vote: therefore, if you have moved to a new municipality of residence, you must request a new electoral card.

To vote in the regional elections in Piedmont it is necessary to bring a valid valid document with you to the polling station identity document and the electoral card. Anyone who has lost their card or has reached the stamp limit can still ask for a new one at the electoral offices of their municipality, checking the opening hours on the website.

Today, Sunday 9 June 2024, you can go and vote starting from 7:00 am. The polls will remain open until 11pm.

Today, Sunday 9 June, is the last day to go to the polls. We vote to elect the members of the Regional Council and the president of the Piedmont Region. The latest voter turnout figure yesterday at 11pm was XX.X%; at 7pm it was XX.X%.