Until the 2003 election, the results in this district were also used to determine the composition of the Island Council of Ibiza and Formentera during the same term as the Parliament, with Formentera counting for 1 out of the 13 seats of the Council—11 out of 12 from 1983 to 1987—. From the 2007 election onwards, Formentera has an independent Council, the composition of which is determined by the local elections of the municipality. Additionally, on 3 April 1979 the first independent election for the Island Council of Ibiza and Formentera was held, electing 12 councillors.[2]
Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprises all nationals over eighteen, registered in the Balearic Islands and in full enjoyment of their political rights. Amendments to the electoral law in 2011 required for Balearic citizens abroad to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado).[6] Seats are elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed listproportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which includes blank ballots; until a 1995 reform, the threshold was set at three percent—being applied in each constituency.[3][4][5] The use of the D'Hondt method may result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[7]
The electoral law allows for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election are required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call—fifteen before 1985—whereas groupings of electors need to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they seek election—one-thousandth of the electorate, with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures, until 1985—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.[5][8][9]
^"Real Decreto 119/1979, de 26 de enero, por el que se regulan las elecciones de los Consejos Insulares del Archipiélago Balear". Royal Decree of 26 January 1979 (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 February 2020. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)
^ abc"Ley 8/1986, de 26 de noviembre, Electoral de la Comunidad Autónoma de las Islas Baleares". Law No. 8 of 26 November 1986 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2020. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)