Electoral system

Voting for the Congress of Deputies was based on censitary suffrage, comprising Spanish national males over 25 years of age who met at least one of the following requirements: ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}

• Being taxpayers with a minimum quota of Pts  25 in territorial contributions (paid one year in advance) or Pts 50 in industrial contributions (paid two years in advance);
• Holding specific positions (such as full academics in the royal academies, members of ecclesiastical councils including parish priests, active public employees with an annual salary of at least Pts 2,000, retired public employees, military officers, senior court officials and certified teachers);
• Being painters or sculptors awarded in national or international exhibitions;
• Or having at least two years of residence in a municipality and proving an educational or professional qualification.

In Cuba and Puerto Rico the taxpayer requirement was higher (Pts 125), while those not fully freed from servitude for at least three years were barred from voting in the Spanish West Indies. ^{[12] [13]} In the Basque Provinces and Navarre—where territorial contributions were not paid individually—voters had instead to prove a certain level of capital (Pts 2,400 in real estate, crops or livestock; or Pts 4,800 in industry, commerce, profession or trade). ^[14] Additional restrictions excluded those deprived of political rights or disqualification from public office by a final court ruling, under criminal penalties, legally incapacitated, bankrupt people, and debtors of public funds. ^{[8] [12]}

The Congress of Deputies had one seat per 50,000 inhabitants. Of these, 111 were elected in 31 multi-member constituencies using partial block voting: in constituencies electing eight seats, voters could choose up to six candidates; in those with seven seats, up to five; in those with six seats, up to four; and in those with four or five seats, up to three. The remaining 321 seats were elected in single-member districts by plurality voting and distributed among the provinces of Spain and the Spanish West Indies according to population. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18]} Up to ten additional members could also be elected through cumulative voting in several single-member districts if they obtained more than 10,000 votes overall. ^[19]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Congress multi-member constituency was entitled the following seats: ^{[16] [20]}

Voting for the elective part of the Senate was also based on censitary suffrage, comprising archbishops and bishops (in the ecclesiastical councils); full academics (in the royal academies); university authorities and professors (in the universities); members with at least three years of seniority (in the economic societies of Friends of the Country); major taxpayers and Spanish citizens of legal age, resident householders with full political and civil rights (for delegates in the local councils); and provincial deputies. ^[21]

180 Senate seats were elected using indirect, write-in, two-round majority voting. Delegates chosen by economic societies, local councils and major taxpayers—and together with other qualified electors—voted for senators. The provinces of Álava, Albacete, Ávila, Biscay, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Guipúzcoa, Huelva, Logroño, Matanzas, Palencia, Pinar del Río, Puerto Príncipe, Santa Clara, Santander, Santiago de Cuba, Segovia, Soria, Teruel, Valladolid and Zamora were allocated two seats each, and the rest three each, for a total of 147. ^[22] The remaining 33 seats were allocated to special institutional districts (one each), including major archdioceses, royal academies, universities and economic societies of Friends of the Country. ^{[23] [24] [25] [26]} Another 180 seats consisted of senators in their own right (such as the monarch's offspring and the heir apparent once of age, grandees of Spain with sufficient income, senior military officers, archbishops, and the heads of major state courts and institutions after two years of service), as well as life senators appointed directly by the monarch. ^[23]

The law provided for by-elections to fill vacant seats in both chambers during the legislative term. ^{[27] [28]}

Eligibility

For the Congress, secular Spanish citizens of legal age, with full civil rights and the right to vote could run for election. Causes of ineligibility applied to contractors of public works or services within the relevant territory in the year prior to the election; and to holders of certain government-appointed posts, provincial deputation members, mayors or similar officials, presidents of polling stations, or certain technical officials (civil, mining and forest engineers), during their term of office and for one year afterwards. ^{[29] [30]} In the Spanish West Indies, those not fully freed from servitude for at least ten years were also barred from running. ^[31] Amendments in 1880 granted special exemptions from ineligibility to certain individuals, capping at 40 the number of deputies able to benefit from these: ^[32]

• Holders of civil, military and judicial positions with permanent residence in Madrid and an annual public salary of at least Pts 12,500;
• Holders of certain positions based in Madrid, such as senior court officials, university authorities and professors, senior engineers, and military officers.

For the Senate, eligibility was limited to Spanish citizens over 35 years of age who were not under criminal prosecution, disfranchisement nor asset seizure, and who either qualified to be senators in their own right or belonged (or had belonged) to certain categories: ^{[33] [34]}

• Having served as senators before the promulgation of the 1876 Constitution; or as deputies in at least three different congresses or eight terms;
• Holders of a wide range of senior public or institutional posts, including the presidents of the Senate and the Congress; government ministers; bishops; grandees of Spain not eligible as senators in their own right; and presidents and directors of the royal academies;
• Senior officials after two years of service, including certain military officers (lieutenant generals and vice admirals); and members or prosecutors in major state courts and institutions;
• Heads of diplomatic missions abroad, after a minimum period of service (two years for ambassadors and four for plenipotentiaries);
• Certain individuals meeting specific income or tax requirements. With an annual income of at least Pts 7,500: Full academics in the relevant corporations; senior civil, mining and forest engineers; and full professors with a four-year seniority. With an annual income of at least Pts 20,000 or being taxpayers with a minimum quota of Pts 4,000 in direct contributions: Spanish nobility; and former deputies, provincial deputies or mayors in provincial capitals or towns over 20,000.

Other ineligibility provisions for the Senate also applied to a number of territorial officials within their areas of jurisdiction, during their term of office and for up to three months afterwards; contractors of public works or services; tax collectors and their guarantors; debtors of public funds; deputies; local councillors (except those in Madrid); and provincial deputies within their respective provinces. ^[35]

Election date

The term of each chamber of the Cortes—the Congress and one-half of the elective part of the Senate—expired five years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier. ^[36] The previous elections were held on 20 April 1879 for the Congress and on 3 May 1879 for the Senate, which meant that the chambers' terms would have expired on 20 April and 3 May 1884, respectively.

The monarch had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election. ^{[37] [38]} There was no constitutional requirement for concurrent elections to the Congress and the Senate, nor for the elective part of the Senate to be renewed in its entirety except in the case that a full dissolution was agreed by the monarch. Still, there was only one case of a separate election (for the Senate in 1877) and no half-Senate elections taking place under the 1876 Constitution.

The Cortes were officially dissolved on 25 June 1881, with the dissolution decree setting election day for 21 August (Congress) and 2 September 1881 (Senate) and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 20 September. ^[39]

Congress of Deputies

Overall

Mainland Spain

← Summary of the 21 August 1881 Congress of Deputies election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote		Seats
		Votes	%
	Liberal Fusionist Party (Fusionistas)			297
	Liberal Conservative Party (Conservadores)			48
	Progressive–Possibilist Democrats (Demócratas)			32
	Democratic Progressive Party (PPD)			12
	Democratic Party (PD)			10
	Independent Monarchist Progressives (Prog.i)			10
	Catholic Union (UC)			3
	Traditionalists (Tradicionalistas)			2
	Fuerist Party of the Basque Union (PFUV)			1
	Independents (Independientes)			9
Total		604,758		392
Votes cast / turnout		604,758	71.40
Abstentions		242,203	28.60
Registered voters		846,961
Sources [40] [41] [42]

Seats

Fusionist			75.77%
Conservative			12.24%
Democratic			8.16%
UC			0.77%
Traditionalist			0.51%
PFUV			0.26%
Independent			2.30%

Cuba

← Summary of the 21 August 1881 Congress of Deputies election results in Cuba →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote		Seats
		Votes	%
	Constitutional Union Party (Unión Conservadora)			18
	Liberal Party (Liberal)			4
	Progressive Liberal Party (Liberal Progresista)			2
Total				24
Votes cast / turnout
Abstentions
Registered voters		31,295
Sources [43]

Seats

Const. Union			75.00%
Liberal			16.67%
Prog. Liberal			8.33%

Senate

← Summary of the 2 September 1881 Senate of Spain election results →

Parties and alliances		Seats
	Liberal Fusionist Party (Fusionistas)	135
	Liberal Conservative Party (Conservadores)	15
	Progressive–Possibilist Democrats (Demócratas)	12
	Democratic Progressive Party (PPD)	8
	Democratic Party (PD)	4
	Independents (Independientes)	8
	Archbishops (Arzobispos)	10
Total elective seats		180
Sources [48] [49] [50]