The “Electoral Party” began yesterday in Costa Rica, when a Costa Rican native of Heredia, voted in Australia, in one of the 52 locations set up to vote abroad.

Over 6,600 election tables opened at 6 a.m. in the country, where more than 3.3 million voters are called to cast their vote.
How does it work?

In Costa Rica all citizens over 18 years old that have a valid I.D. can cast their vote. The election tables are installed in the different public schools across the country, and each person is registered in the school that corresponds to the residence listed in their I.D.

Ticos are choosing between 13 presidential candidates and they must also vote for the deputies of the party of their choice.

According to Costa Rica’s law a candidate has to have at least 40% of the votes to become president; in the event that none of the candidates reach that 40% the two candidates that received the higher percentages of votes would face off in a second round that would take place the first Sunday of April.

The last poll showed over 36% of the voters had not decided on a candidate of their preference so a second round is very likely, this has happened only twice before, in the 2002 and 2014 election processes.

The official results of the votes issued abroad will be sent to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal at 6 p.m. this Sunday, at that same hour the voting tables close in the country.