Comitia municipales: el elector en su laberinto

Abstract

This article explores the comitia, legal assemblies organized to elect the Roman municipal magistrates,with a focus on the election day, and other aspects directly affecting the citizens participating in the ballot. In particular the article considers three core elements of the comitia. First, the roles of the magistrate who ran the comitia (call of the assembly, taking the auspicia, and presidency of the contio). Second, the configuration of the electoral body and its organization in civic units (curiae). Finally, the article discusses some specific elements of the voting process: the space where the comitia were held, the identification of the voters, the voting procedure, the maintenance of public order, and the controls to guarantee the transparency of the electoral system.