Buenos Aires is voting for local lawmakers on Sunday, May 18. If you’re a foreign national living in the Argentine capital and over 16 years old, you may be eligible to vote. Read on to learn how to carry out your civic duty.

The Buenos Aires City Legislature will renew 30 seats through this election, which represents half of the legislative body. The elected lawmakers will occupy those seats for four years.

Unlike other electoral years, this time the legislative local elections will be held separately from the October 26 national ones. Another difference to other elections is that there will be no primaries — neither in the capital city nor at a national level — so the results of these elections will be definitive.

Can I vote if I am a foreigner in Buenos Aires?

Yes, but it depends on your documents.

According to the Buenos Aires Electoral Code, people born abroad who have become Argentine citizens can vote in the local elections. Just like with all Argentine citizens, voting is mandatory for local and national elections.

Those who obtained their citizenship because they have Argentine parents (known as argentino por opción, by choice) can vote starting at 16. Those who are Argentine citizens because they have been living in the country for at least two consecutive years (argentino naturalizado, naturalized) can vote if they are 18 or older.

Naturalized Argentine citizens or by choice vote in the same polling stations as other Argentines. You can check where you’re voting here. To vote, you need to bring your Argentine DNI (national identity document), and you can only vote in the polling station you were assigned.

What about foreign residents?

Foreigners who don’t have Argentine citizenship can only vote in Argentina if they have permanent residence. If you have transitory or temporary residence, or haven’t completed your paperwork yet, you won’t be able to vote.

While voting is mandatory for all foreign residents in Buenos Aires, they are not fined if they don’t, unlike Argentine citizens. However, permanent residents can only vote for local authorities, such as the mayor and local lawmakers. This means they can cast their vote in the May 18 Buenos Aires legislative elections, but not in the national ones.

To vote as a foreign permanent resident, you need to be 16 years old or over and have a DNI for foreign residents with a registered address in Buenos Aires city.

Foreign voters in Buenos Aires are registered automatically, so there’s no need to sign up manually. Once your permanent residence paperwork is complete, you will be included in the register, although it could take a while to take effect.

According to information from the city’s electoral court, 524,040 foreign residents are eligible to vote this year. The Buenos Aires constitution guarantees their right to vote in equal conditions to Argentine citizens.

Where and how do I vote?

Foreign residents vote in polling desks exclusively for them. To check out where you’re voting in the city’s electoral registry for foreign residents, click here.

The Buenos Aires election will use a system called the Boleta Única Electrónica (Single Electronic Ballot).

The electronic vote consists of a paper ballot you insert into a machine. Using the screen, you will be able to choose your preferred candidates or cast a blank vote. The machine will then print your vote, after which you will have to put the ballot in the ballot box.