The most rarefied elections to the Parliament of Catalonia, amidst a pandemic, have given a result that changes the leaderships both in the pro-independence bloc and especially in the unionist bloc. The pro-independence movement consolidates and increases its majority, overcomes the symbolic barrier of 50% of the votes and places ERC ahead of JxCat in both votes and seats, with a strengthened CUP and a PDECat that has not achieved its goal of entering Parliament. On the other side, the shake-up is more spectacular: the literal collapse of Ciudadanos (losing 30 seats, retaining only 6) is capitalised by a the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) that recovers its historical prominence and wins the popular vote (with 23% of the votes), while it ties in seats (33) with ERC. Ciudadanos' rout also means the the xenophobic far-right will enter the Catalan Parliament for the first time. With 11 seats, Vox has become the fourth party in Parliament, which will have to avoid giving it any kind of prominence or allow it to set the political agenda. Finally, the PP, the main opposition party in Spain, shrinks even further in Catalonia.

There are a number of reasons not to go to the polls. In fact, there are potentially as many reasons to be discouraged as there are voters called to the ballots. For the generations that have lived in a democracy, voting is a matter of fact, a routine that rivals the routines of a pandemic Sunday. What if the fear of contagion, what if laziness, what if the rain, what if the aperitif? What if disillusionment and weariness with political representatives overwhelmed by reality and with worn-out prestige. In fact, it is nothing new, as JFK said, that mothers want their children to grow up to be presidents, but do not want them to become politicians in the process. 

The doorbell rings at Carme's house. It's the postwoman, Neus. It's not just any letter. Otherwise, following the covid protocol, she wouldn't have rung the doorbell and would have just left the envelope in the letterbox. But today she had to safeguard the delivery until the last moment and deliver it in hand. It was the ballot paper for the 14-F elections that Carme had ordered by post. When Neus opened the mechanical door of the lift, Carme was already waiting for her on the landing, impatient. It was clear to her which ballot she was going to choose. Under normal conditions, Neus would have simply given her the ballot paper and Carme, once she had chosen the party, would have taken it to the post office. But the pandemic, which is a specialist in creating unprecedented situations, allows for the first time the vote to be casted infront of the post office worker.