Madrid's Voter List for Spaniards Abroad Grows Fast
Listen to the story
The number of voters from Madrid registered on the electoral roll for people living abroad is growing twice as fast as the national average for Spain, according to recent data.
This list includes Spanish citizens who live outside the country but keep the right to vote in Spanish elections. These voters are known as residents abroad.
At the same time, the Spanish government is working on a strategy to speed up a legal process involving the so-called grandchildren law. This law allows some grandchildren of Spanish citizens to gain Spanish nationality.
The government wants the Constitutional Court, led by its current president, to review the suspension of this law as quickly as possible. The court's job is to decide whether laws follow Spain's constitution.
Meanwhile, a political debate continues about voting rights for citizens who live outside Spain. Some commentators have raised the example of countries like Ireland and Denmark, where residents abroad are not allowed to vote in national elections.
This comparison has been used to question statements by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has previously spoken about democracy and voting rights. Critics ask whether Ireland and Denmark should still be considered full democracies if they restrict voting for citizens abroad, and whether Spain's own rules should be viewed the same way.
The story connects two separate issues: the rising number of Madrid residents abroad who are registering to vote, and an ongoing legal and political debate over nationality and voting laws in Spain.
Vocabulary7 words
- electoral roll
- an official list of people allowed to vote
- residents abroad
- citizens who live in another country
- grandchildren law
- a law giving nationality to grandchildren of citizens
- nationality
- official membership in a country
- Constitutional Court
- the top court that checks if laws are legal
- suspension
- stopping something for a period of time
- democracy
- a system of government based on voting
Quiz
Answer key
1. It is growing twice as fast 2. Review the suspension of the grandchildren law quickly 3. Because their residents abroad cannot vote, like a point raised against Sánchez
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The number of voters from Madrid registered on the _____ for people living abroad is growing twice as fast as the national average for Spain.
This list includes Spanish citizens who live outside the country but keep the right to _____ in Spanish elections.
The Spanish government is working on a strategy to speed up a legal process involving the so-called _____ law.
This law allows some grandchildren of Spanish citizens to gain Spanish _____.
The government wants the Constitutional Court to review the _____ of this law as quickly as possible.
The court's job is to decide whether laws follow Spain's _____.
Some commentators have raised the example of countries like Ireland and _____.
Critics ask whether Ireland and Denmark should still be considered full _____ if they restrict voting for citizens abroad.
The story connects two separate issues: the rising number of Madrid residents abroad who are registering to _____.
There is an ongoing legal and political debate over nationality and _____ laws in Spain.
Discussion questions
- Why might voter registration among citizens abroad be growing faster in some regions than others?
- Do you think citizens living abroad should have the same voting rights as those living in their home country? Why or why not?
- What role should a Constitutional Court play in reviewing laws about nationality and voting?
- How fair do you think it is for countries like Ireland and Denmark to restrict voting for residents abroad?