Questions & Answers

  • On June 9, 2024, the European Parliament elections, the local self-government elections, and the minority self-government elections will take place on the same day.

  • 1. In accordance with the 2022 amendment to the Fundamental Law, this summer, on 9 June, we will elect the members of the European Parliament (21 Hungarian MPs out of 720), the members of local government and mayors, members of the county assemblies, members of the capital assemblies and the mayor of the capital on the same day. Furthermore, the representatives of minority self-government are appointed at municipal, regional and in all cases national level.

    2. In Budapest, an important change is that the members of the Budapest City Assembly will no longer be district mayors, but the 32 members will be elected directly by the voters of Budapest, on a list.

    3. In settlements with more than 10 000 inhabitants, a compensatory list may be established by a nominating organisation which has nominated a candidate in at least two thirds of the single mandate constituencies of the settlement

    4. The 2023 amendments to the Electoral Procedure Act changed the rules for submitting applications.

    Under the new rules, voters can submit individual applications in the following ways:

    in person

    via a delivery agent

    by post

    online identification

    without identification

    www.valasztas.hu

    in any local election office

    from 1 December, 2023

    • registration and removal from the nationality register

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    • accessible polling station
    • simplified information
    • Braille-notice
    • Braille-template

    request and cancellation

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    • prohibiting/allowing the provision of data for election campaign purposes

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    For the 2024 general elections from 4 April 2024

    • mobile ballot box  request and  cancellation

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    • absentee voting and cancellation

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    Submitting a request online with identification

    The easiest and safest way to apply is to identify yourself online. There are several ways for voters to identify themselves when submitting an application online. For information on identification options, click here: https://kau.gov.hu/informacio/segitseg

    Applications can be submitted online here.

    Submitting an application in person

    Voters can submit their application in person at any local election office. There is no need to fill in the form in advance, just bring a valid document proving your identity (identity card, passport or driving licence).

    Submission of the application by proxy

    The proxy may deliver the voter's application at any local election office if the voter completes Section 5 of the application form, which includes the power of attorney signed by 2 witnesses. They can also receive the decision of the electoral office by completing section (p) of the application form. The delivery agent may not make statements on behalf of the voter, the voter's statements must be contained in the application form signed by the voter. Application forms can be filled in and printed out by computer. After printing, it is important that the voter signs the form in the appropriate places (points 4 and 5).

    Submitting an application by post

    You can also submit your application for a ballot paper or registration by post. Applications for registration can be submitted on a continuous basis, but to be considered for the 2024 European Parliament elections, they must be received by 4 p.m. on 15 May 2024 at the National Election Office, any local election office or a foreign representation.

    The application for a mobile ballot box can be submitted by post to any local election office until 4 p.m. on 5 June 2024 from the date of the election. The election office will process applications from 4 April 2024.

    Application forms can also be filled in and printed out by computer. After printing, it is important that the voter signs the form in the appropriate place (point 4).

    Decision on the application

    As of 1 December 2023, applications for the register will be assessed by the National Election Office (NEC) in an automatic decision-making procedure. This means that in most cases a decision will be taken within a few seconds. However, in the case of submissions by proxy, without online identification or by post, if the name or place of birth given is different from the one on the register, the intervention of an administrator will be required, which will extend the time for the administration by 3 working days.

    Notification of the decision

    The NVI sends the decision - in the first instance - to the voter's citizen mailbox (https://tarhely.gov.hu/). You can also specify another delivery address (e-mail or postal address) in the request, or you can request to receive it in person. For those who do not have a citizen mailbox and do not provide any other contact details, the decision will be delivered to their home address by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt.

  • No, it must be submitted as a single application covering all elections.

  • The 720 members of the European Parliament (including 21 Hungarians) are elected for five years.

  • Based on the data of the electoral roll of 3 April 2024, the National Election Office will send a notification by 19 April 2024 (Friday) at the latest, informing the voters with Hungarian address in the register, where and when they can vote.

  • If the voter does not receive the notification, if it is destroyed or lost, he or she can request a new notification from any local election office, which can be found at the mayor's office. The presentation of the notification is not a condition for voting.

  • The National Election Office sent a letter in January 2024 informing the citizens living outside the EU or not residing in Hungary about the elections of the members of the European Parliament and the possibility to participate in them.

  • In February 2024, the National Election Office informed citizens of other EU countries residing in Hungary about the possibility of voting on the Hungarian list. If you would like to make use of this possibility, you can register to the electoral roll by 4 p.m. on Friday 24 May 2024.

  • In the election of the members of the European Parliament, a party that is legally registered in the court register of civil organizations at the time the election is called.

  • The party list can be recommended from 20 April 2024 (Saturday) until 3 May 2024 (Friday) 4 p.m. The voter can recommend a list by filling in and signing the recommendation sheet.

    A voter may recommend several party lists, but a list can only be supported by one recommendation. A recommendation cannot be withdrawn.

    A successful list requires 20 000 valid recommendations.

  • The election campaign starts on Saturday 20 April 2024 (from 12 a.m. on Saturday) and lasts until Sunday 9 June 2024 (until 7 p.m.).

  • No campaigning silence, but no campaigning shall take place on election day in the polling district, in the building containing the polling district, or in public space within 150 metres of the entrance to the building containing the polling district. No election meeting may be held on election day, nor may political advertising be published.

  • A voter with a disability can request assistance to exercise their right to vote:

    • The deadline for submitting an application for a Braille notification is Tuesday 2 April 2024 at 4 p.m.
    • The deadline for submitting an application for simplified information is Tuesday 2 April 2024 at p.m.
    • The deadline for submitting a n application for a Braille template is Friday 31 May 2024 at 4 p.m.
    • The deadline for submitting an application for an accessible polling station is 5 June 2024 (Wednesday) 4 p.m.

    You may be assisted in filling in the ballot paper by an assistant of your choice or, if no such person is present, by two members of the polling station commission,

    In addition to the above, voters may also request a mobile ballot box. The conditions for submitting a mobile ballot box are described in the next section.

  • Voters on the electoral roll who:

      • have a medical condition (or disability)
      • is serving his/her detention.

    Those who request a mobile ballot box for other reasons (e.g. work, convenience) shall have their request rejected by the election office or the polling station commission.

    The application for a mobile ballot box can be submitted from 4 April 2024 (Thursday):

      • by mail to the address of any local election office or online without electronic identification no later than 4 p.m. (Wednesday), June 5, 2024,
      • in person or by proxy at any local election office by 10 a.m. (Friday) 7 June 2024, or
      • by online with electronic identification on the day of voting, 9 June 2024 (Sunday) by 12 noon,
      • by proxy with or without by 12 noon on polling day, 9 June 2024 (Sunday) at the latest.

    In the elections to the members of the European Parliament, voters can apply for a mobile ballot box anywhere.

    It is important to note that those who have requested a mobile ballot box cannot vote at the polling district in the "traditional" way, only with a mobile ballot box! However, if the mobile ballot box is in the polling station, you may cast your vote in the polling station.

  • The application for absentee voting may be submitted by those who wish to vote on polling day in Hungary but in a place other than their place of residence (in this case, they will vote in the settlement of their choice in the EU elections, but in the municipal elections they have to be registered in the polling district of their place of residence, where they can only vote for the mayor, the representatives of the local government or county/capital  list, if any).

    Applications may be submitted from 4 April 2024 (Thursday) until 4 p.m. on 31 May 2024 (Wednesday) at the latest.

    You can request absentee voting for any municipality (or district in Budapest) in Hungary.

    You can also apply for a mobile ballot box if you are unable to attend the polling district because of your health or detention.

    The voter must submit an application for absentee voting:

      • until 4 p.m. on Friday 31 May 2024 - in person, by proxy or by electronic identification,
      • by 10 a.m. on Friday, 7 June 2024, in person or by proxy or by electronic identification.
    • What should voters who have a Hungarian address but want to vote outside Hungary?

    Voters with a Hungarian address are automatically entered in the electoral roll.

    If you want to vote abroad on polling day, you must apply to be entered on the electoral roll of a foreign representation. Applications for entry on the electoral roll of foreign representations may be submitted from 4 April 2024 (Thursday) until 4 p.m. on 31 May 2024 (Friday). The application may be submitted in person or by proxy at any local election office or foreign representation, or by online electronic identification.

    The deadline for cancellation from the electoral roll of foreign representations is 5 June 2024, 10 a.m.

    It is important to note that voting at a foreign representation is only possible for elections to the European Parliament.

  • If the homeless person has a municipal-level address, he or she may cast his or her vote at a designated polling district in that municipality. The addresses of the designated polling districts can be obtained from the local mayor's office. For the addresses of the designated polling districts, contact the local mayor's office.

    If the homeless person does not have a municipal-level address, they must register on the central electoral roll by 4 p.m. on 16 May 2024 (Thursday) at any local election office. In this case you can vote by mail.

  • Hungarian voters living outside the territory of the European Union who do not have a Hungarian address according to the Hungarian address register may vote by mail in the elections to the European Union. To do so, they must register in the electoral roll by 4 p.m. 16 on Thursday, May 2024.

    The deadline for entering the electoral roll is Friday 24 May 2024 at 4 p.m.:

    • online with or without electronic identification,
    • in person or by proxy at any local election office or foreign representation,
    • in a letter sent by post to the National Electoral Office or any other foreign representation.

    The application for entering the electoral roll is available here.

  • Previous registration is valid for ten years. The 10-year period is counted from the date on which the voter is registered. However, the 10-year period shall be restarted if the voter has voted, or has requested a change of address for notification, a change of place of polling district, a change of address abroad or an extension of his/her registration.

    However, if you are not listed in the Hungarian address register (because you are registered with a passport, so you are listed in the passport register), you can only vote if you give your address, which is outside the European Union.

  • It is possible to pick up the ballot paper in person (parliamentary single mandate constituency seat municipality, designated municipality, foreign representation) or to give another postal address until 4 p.m. (Thursday) 16 May 2024. You can request a change at any time, so it is worth to do so before the deadline, until the National Election Office of Hungary mails out the postal packages.

    In case of a change of address after mailing, it will not be possible to resend the postal packages.

  • You must register to vote for a Hungarian candidate in the election to the European Parliament. EU registration can be submitted continuously, but in order to be eligible to vote in the 9 June 2024 elections, you must do so by no later than 4 p.m. on Friday 24 May 2024.

    The EU registration can be submitted online using electronic identification or by submitting a form in person or by proxy.

    Once you have successfully registered, the National Election Office will contact the electoral authorities of your country of citizenship, who will remove you from their electoral roll. This ensures that each voter can only vote in one place in the European Union.

  • You can apply to be registered in your country of residence under the law of the country where you live abroad. In this case, the National Election Office, based on the notification received from the Member State, will remove you from the Hungarian electoral roll, thus excluding the possibility of double voting. For further details, please contact the competent authorities of the Member State concerned.

  • Voters residing in Hungary and voting abroad can only vote at a Hungarian foreign representation, not by post. You can find the contact details of the electoral offices at the foreign representations by clicking here.

  • The table below summarises where and when to vote in the foreign representations.

  • Voters who are on the electoral roll may vote at the polling station. The voter must provide proof of identity (a valid identity card, passport or driving licence) and proof of address or personal identification (e.g. address card). The voter will then receive a stamped ballot paper and sign the electoral roll to confirm receipt.

  • You can vote between 6.00 a.m. and 7 p.m. on 9 June 2024 (Sunday).

  • By law, voters who are still in the queue at 7 p.m. can still vote. After 7 pm, you cannot queue.

  • The information on the European Parliament elections, except for the number of voters present at the polls, can only be made public once voting has been completed in all Member States of the European Union, i.e. after 11 p.m. on 9 June 2024.

  • Sealed ballot boxes will be delivered to the National Election Office from the foreign representations by midnight on Thursday 13 June 2024 at the latest.

    The National Election Office will open the ballot boxes received and count the votes under the supervision of the National Election Commission.

  • Only those lists that have received more than 5% of the total number of valid votes cast for all the lists can participate in the allocation of seats and win seats.

    The votes cast are converted into seats using the d'Hondt matrix.

  • The d'Hondt matrix is a formula developed by the Belgian mathematician Victor d'Hondt to convert votes into mandates in many countries around the world.

    In essence, the votes cast for each party are divided by one, two, three, four, etc., the resulting numbers are put in descending order, and in this order as many of these numbers are found as there are seats (in this case 12) to be allocated.

    In the following example, 100 votes are converted into 12 seats (marked in green) (i.e. 40 votes for party A will result in 5 seats, 30 votes for party B in 4 seats, 20 votes for party C in 2 seats, 10 votes for party D in 1 seat.)

     

    A Party

    40 votes

    B Party

    30 votes

    C Party

    20 votes

    D Party

    10 votes

    1

    40/1 = 40,00

    30/1 = 30,00

    20/1 = 20,00

    10/1 = 10,00

    2

    40/2 = 20,00

    30/2 = 15,00

    20/2 = 10,00

    10/2 = 5,00

    3

    40/3 = 13,33

    30/3 = 10,00

    20/3 = 6,67

    10/3 = 3,33

    4

    40/4 = 10,00

    30/4 = 7,50

    20/4 = 5,00

    10/4 = 2,50

    5

    40/5 = 8,00

    30/5 = 6,00

    20/5 = 4,00

    10/5 = 2,00

    6

    40/6 = 6,67

    30/6 = 5,00

    20/6 = 3,33

    10/6 = 1,67

  • The following election commissions are in operation for the European Parliament elections:

    •  polling station commission,
    •  local election commission,
    • regional election commission,
    • National Election Commission.

  • Parliamentary elections

    3 April 2022.

    European Parliament elections

    9 June 2024.

    199 mandates

    21 mandates in Hungary

    (720 in total)

    voters not resident in Hungary can vote by post after registration

    voters who are not resident in Hungary or another EU country can vote by post after registering

    only Hungarian citizens with the right to vote may participate in the election

    a voter of another EU Member State resident in Hungary may vote after registration

    you can vote for an individual candidate and a national list

    there are no individual candidates, you can only vote for a list

    party lists and nationality lists

    party lists only

    500 valid nominations per constituency are required to stand as a candidate

    20,000 valid recommendations must be collected nationally to be included on the list

    voting from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    you can vote with two intersecting lines

    voters residing abroad and having a Hungarian address can vote at the foreign representations

     5%, 10%, 15% thresholds to enter parliament         

    5% threshold to enter parliament         

    no campaign silence, but no election rallies, no political advertising and no campaigning of any kind within 150 metres of the entrance to the polling station (in public space) during the election