# Biscay (Senate constituency)

Biscay is one of the 59 constituencies (Spanish: circunscripciones) represented in the Senate of Spain, the upper chamber of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales. The constituency elects four senators. Its boundaries correspond to those of the Spanish province of Biscay. The electoral system uses an open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. Electors can vote for up to three candidates.

## Electoral system

The constituency was created as per the Political Reform Act 1977 and was first contested in the 1977 general election. The Act provided for the provinces of Spain to be established as multi-member districts in the Senate of Spain, with this regulation being maintained under the Spanish Constitution of 1978. Additionally, the Constitution requires for any modification of the provincial limits to be approved under an organic law, needing an absolute majority in the Cortes Generales.
Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprises all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The only exception was in 1977, when this was limited to nationals over 21 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political and civil rights. Amendments to the electoral law in 2011 required for Spaniards abroad to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado), which was abolished in 2022. 208 seats are elected using an open list partial block voting system, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors can vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of the 47 peninsular provinces is allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, districts are the islands themselves, with the larger—Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife—being allocated three seats each, and the smaller—Menorca, Ibiza–Formentera, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and El Hierro (which comprised a single constituency only for the 1977 election), Lanzarote and La Palma—one each. Ceuta and Melilla elect two seats each. Until 1985, the law also provided for by-elections to fill Senate seats vacated up to two years into the legislature.
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 permille of the electorate, with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures, until 1985—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. Also since 2011, parties, federations or coalitions that have not obtained a mandate in either chamber of the Cortes at the preceding election are required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies.

## Senators

Senators for Biscay 1977– :
| Key to parties  U.Podemos  Podemos  PSOE  FA  PNV  UCD  PP |||
| Legislature | Election | Distribution |
| Constituent | 1977 | 3 1 |
| 1st | 1979 | 1 3 |
| 2nd | 1982 | 1 3 |
| 3rd | 1986 | 1 3 |
| 4th | 1989 | 1 3 |
| 5th | 1993 | 1 3 |
| 6th | 1996 | 1 3 |
| 7th | 2000 | 3 1 |
| 8th | 2004 | 1 3 |
| 9th | 2008 | 3 1 |
| 10th | 2011 | 1 3 |
| 11th | 2015 | 1 3 |
| 12th | 2016 | 1 3 |
| 13th | 2019 (Apr) | 1 3 |
| 14th | 2019 (Nov) | 1 3 |
| 15th | 2023 | 1 3 |

## Elections
### 2023 general election

Summary of the 23 July 2023 Senate of Spain election results in Biscay :
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote | Seats | Seats |
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− |
| | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 508,813 | 28.88 | –8.59 | 3 | ±0 |
| | Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE)) | 443,738 | 25.18 | +5.61 | 1 | ±0 |
| | Basque Country Gather–Left for Independence (EH Bildu–IE) | 379,663 | 21.55 | +8.49 | 0 | ±0 |
| | People's Party (PP) | 204,180 | 11.59 | +2.06 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Unite (Sumar)$^1$ | 164,634 | 9.34 | –7.52 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Vox (Vox) | 39,024 | 2.21 | +1.50 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Animalist Party with the Environment (PACMA)$^2$ | 10,351 | 0.59 | –0.20 | 0 | ±0 |
| | For a Fairer World (PUM+J) | 2,245 | 0.13 | +0.07 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Communist Party of the Workers of the Basque Country (PCTE/ELAK) | 1,710 | 0.10 | +0.04 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Zero Cuts (Recortes Cero) | 1,459 | 0.08 | –0.08 | 0 | ±0 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 6,108 | 1.01 | –0.26 | | |
| Total | Total | 1,761,925 | | | 4 | ±0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 603,527 | 98.18 | –0.20 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 11,182 | 1.82 | +0.20 | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 614,709 | 65.19 | –1.45 | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 328,274 | 34.81 | +1.45 | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 942,983 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
| Footnotes: $^1$ Unite results are compared to the combined totals of United We Can and More Country–Ecologist Candidacy in the November 2019 election.$^2$ Animalist Party with the Environment results are compared to Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals totals in the November 2019 election. |||||||

### November 2019 general election

Summary of the 10 November 2019 Senate of Spain election results in Biscay :
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote | Seats | Seats |
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− |
| | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 673,364 | 37.47 | | 3 | ±0 |
| | Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE)) | 351,739 | 19.57 | | 1 | ±0 |
| | United We Can (Podemos–IU) | 292,935 | 16.30 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | Basque Country Gather (EH Bildu) | 234,706 | 13.06 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | People's Party (PP) | 171,333 | 9.53 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (Cs) | 22,006 | 1.22 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) | 14,140 | 0.79 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | Vox (Vox) | 12,728 | 0.71 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | More Country–Ecologist Candidacy (Más País–Candidatura Ecologista) | 10,054 | 0.56 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Zero Cuts–Green Group (Recortes Cero–GV) | 2,842 | 0.16 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | For a Fairer World (PUM+J) | 1,103 | 0.06 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | Communist Party of the Workers of the Basque Country (PCTE/ELAK) | 1,085 | 0.06 | | 0 | ±0 |
| | European Solidarity Action Party (Solidaria) | 974 | 0.05 | | 0 | ±0 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 7,886 | 1.27 | | | |
| Total | Total | 1,796,895 | | | 4 | ±0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 622,554 | 98.38 | | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 10,247 | 1.62 | | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 632,801 | 66.64 | | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 316,797 | 33.36 | | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 949,598 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||

### 1977 general election

Summary of the 15 June 1977 Senate of Spain election results in Biscay :
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote | Seats | Seats |
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− |
| | Autonomous Front (FA) | 879,348 | 58.75 | n/a | 3 | n/a |
| | People's Alliance (AP) | 147,573 | 9.86 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Communist Party of the Basque Country (PCE/EPK) | 131,861 | 8.81 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) | 111,041 | 7.42 | n/a | 1 | n/a |
| | People's Socialist Party–Socialist Unity (PSP–US) | 89,825 | 6.00 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Basque Christian Democracy (DCV) | 68,146 | 4.55 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Basque Nationalist Action (EAE/ANV) | 31,534 | 2.11 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Democratic Socialist Alliance (ASDCI) | 18,753 | 1.25 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | José Antonio Circles (CJA) | 18,713 | 1.25 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | | | n/a | | |
| Total | Total | 1,496,794 | | | 4 | n/a |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | | | n/a | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | | | n/a | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | | | n/a | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | | | n/a | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 749,572 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||