The Catalan government has protected the ballot boxes, like the rest of the logistics for the referendum, with a thick veil of discretion. This morning, they have finally revealed one, although without offering any details. As soon as images spread, however, social media users worked out that a Chinese company, Smart Dragon Ballot Expert Co, makes one of exactly the same style. This is presumed to be the way the Catalan government has got around the siege imposed by Mariano Rajoy's government and the pressure from the Spanish state to prevent Spanish companies from taking part in the bidding process.
Les urnes de l' #1OCT pic.twitter.com/odtaybNE26
— Government. Generality (@govern) 29 of septiembre of 2017
Smart Dragon's ballot boxes can be bought through Alibaba.com for less than five euros each depending on the number ordered, the minimum being 2000.
Turkey, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Ghana and Australia are some of the countries which have made orders from the company in recent months.
The ballot boxes they offer, dispatched from the port of Guangzhou, are made of semi-transparent polypropylene. The company offers the possibility to print a logo on the boxes, like on the one revealed by the Catalan government today.
They come in different colours. Removing the lid, they can be easily stacked to take up much less space.
According to Spanish newspaper El País, which has been in contact with the company, Smart Dragon has never provided ballot boxes for Spain, but a recent orders of 10,000 units went to France.
Spanish voters are used to seeing transparent ballot boxes, although social media has filled with pictures showing the variety of styles ballot boxes take on around the world.
Os dejo el material didáctico para reventar mofas de caterva cavernaria que saldrá a comentar el diseño de las urnas, elecciones holandesas: pic.twitter.com/RsH0S4XGNJ
— Bernat Castro #Òc (@Berlustinho) 29 of September 2017
Translation: I'm leaving you didactic material to disrupt the mockery from the cave-dwelling bunch that will come out to comment on the design of the ballot boxes. Dutch elections:
Més material didàctic... En aquest cas de la Gran Bretanya... pic.twitter.com/wfKPOS6o8r
— Eduard Mata (@eduardmata) 29 of September 2017
More didactic material... In this case from Great Britain.
I de Canadà... pic.twitter.com/B3L1N68B7K
— Eduard Mata (@eduardmata) 29 of September 2017
And from Canada...
Italia pic.twitter.com/zYN6VKlD1M
— JC López (@OdoFerreirinho) 29 of September 2017
Italy
Lübeck, Alemania pic.twitter.com/9DTugDpSwX
— JC López (@OdoFerreirinho) 29 of September 2017
Lübeck, Germany
A similar type of ballot box was used in this week's independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan.
#Breaking: Voter turnout in #Duhok is 90 to 95%, according to officials in the city.#YesKurdistan
photo: a couple voting in Duhok! pic.twitter.com/6DFxH9rgXs — Duhok Post (@Duhokpost) 25 of September 2017