HUNDREDS of thousands of expats are joining polling booths around Spain today.
The registered foreigners hold the key to elections in many key tourist resorts including Javea, Calvia and Marbella.
These include Manilva and Benahavis on the Costa del Sol.
In some towns they number well over 50% of the electorate.
In Benahavis, near Marbella, British resident Scott Marshall, who has spent most of his life in Spain, is standing for the PP today.
The estate agent, told the Olive Press: “I know I can give back a lot to the village and when the opportunity arose I jumped at it.
“I hope to be running the foreigners department if voted in.”
The count in most towns will be declared later this evening after the voting booths close.