FAQ - National Election Office
- General information legal background and funding
- Before the election notices recommending candidates
- National minorities in the election
- Election day 8 April 2018
- Administering the poll
- Distributing mandates
- Electoral bodies How to submit an objection
- Voting at foreign representations of Hungarian citizens having residence in Hungary
- Voting of Hungarian citizens having no residence in Hungary (out-of-country citizens)
- When will be the parliamentary elections held?
The President of the Republic has set the date of the 2018 election of the members of parliament to the 8th of April 2018.
- Did the rules change or do the same rules apply as in 2014?
- The legal frame of the election changed little over the past years, therefore basically the same rules apply as back in 2014.
- One of the changes is that after the amendment of the Act on Electoral Procedure in June 2014 the voters may request information whether their data is contained among the verified supporting signatures which are needed to put forward candidates. This can be requested by any voter who turns to the single member constituency election office (town clerk) in charge. Please take notice, that supporting signatures are only checked until the required 500 valid ones are determined. Anything above, even it amounts to several thousand, are not checked.
- Who has the right to vote?
- According to the Fundamental Law (Constitution) of Hungary all Hungarian citizens of legal age (meaning 18 years and older or those who got married before) has the right to vote and to stand as candidate during the election of the members of parliament.
- Those shall not vote or stand as candidate, who have been disenfranchised by a court due to a committed crime or limited mental capacity.
- Who are the international observers?
- Observers delegated by another country or by an international organization that have been registered as such by the National Election Office on the occasion of the given election.
- Observers may observe the entire election procedure and be present while the election bodies, may view the documents of the election commissions, may put questions to members of election bodies and call their attention to the detected irregularities.
- How much does organizing the election cost?
- The planned total cost of the 2018 election amounts to 8.1 billion HUF, 7 billion HUF of which are secured from the central budget, another 1.1 billion HUF from funding spared by the National Election Office from previous elections.
- 3.4 billion HUF expenditure is allocated for local and regional bodies and 4.7 billion HUF is planned by the National Election Office for central expenses. Local and regional expenditure is based on personnel and material costs while central expenditure consists of spending related to printing, postage, IT and security.
- The National Election Office has planned 2.8 billion HUF for personnel costs, 3.5 billion HUF for material costs and 1.8 billion HUF for IT costs.
- When do I get my election notice on the venue of my polling station?
From 12 to 19 February, based on the data of 9 February, the National Election Office sends a notice for voters with a residence in Hungary that they have been enrolled and where the designated polling station of their constituency is located.
- What is to be done if someone does not get the electoral notice?
Voters may request from the local election office (settlement clerk) another electoral notice if the previous one got lost, damaged or did not arrive.
- When does the campaign start?
The campaign lasts from 17 February until 8 April 19.00 o’clock.
- How does the nomination process go?
- Nomination period lasts from 19 February to March 5.
- Every voter may recommend candidates in his/her constituency by signing the collection sheet.
- A voter may recommend more than one candidate, but each candidate can be recommended only once. The recommendation cannot be revoked.
- 500 recommendations are needed for putting forward a candidate.
- Voters may request information whether their data is contained among the verified supporting signatures which are needed to put forward candidates. This can be requested by any voter who turns to the single member constituency election office (town clerk) in charge. Supporting signatures are only checked until the required 500 valid ones are determined. Anything above, even it amounts to several thousand, are not checked.
- Where is it forbidden to collect recommendations?
Supporting signatures cannot be collected in working places, government bodies, armed forces, public transport, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, doctor’s offices.
- Do I need to fill in the recommendation collecting sheet personally?
- No, the data content can also be completed by someone else, however:
- the recommendation will only be valid if it is signed by the supporting voter personally.
- Which organizations may put forward national lists during the parliamentary elections?
- National lists may be put forward by:
- parties, that put forward a minimum of 27 single member constituency candidates in at least 9 counties plus the capital city,
- the national self-governments of minorities.
- National lists may be put forward by:
- What is the enrolment of national minorities?
- Persons belonging to some national minority may request to be enrolled in this quality during the parliamentary elections. This also entitles the voter to participate in the election of self-governments of the national minorities.
- During the parliamentary election voters registered as national minorities may
- cast their votes as non-minority voters (for an individual candidate and a national party list) or
- if they expressly request at the registration of national minorities that the scope of their registration should cover that of the parliamentary elections, they may vote for the national minority list (besides an individual candidate), instead of voting for the party lists.
- National minorities’ list may obtain MP mandates under preferential conditions.
- The officially recognized minorities: Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Greek, Polish, Roma, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Ukrainian
- Those who already requested (e.g. before the 2014 elections) to be enrolled as minority voters, stay in this status until revoked and do not need to re-apply.
- If you happen to be a registered national minority voter for the parliamentary elections, then your minority’s national self-government will automatically receive your name and address to facilitate the collecting of recommendations.
- How does national minority recommendation go?
- During parliamentary elections the minority self-governments must collect recommendations to put forward their own national list.
- A national minority list may be put forward if the number of collected supporting signatures reaches at least 1% but a maximum of 1.500 of the total number of enrolled voters of the given minority.
- If you happen to be a registered national minority voter for the parliamentary elections, then your minority’s national self-government will automatically receive your name and address to facilitate the collecting of recommendations.
- What happens if somebody wants to vote for a national minority list and asked to be enrolled accordingly, but the given national minority does not put forward such a list?
In this case the voter will automatically get a regular national party list ballot (aside from the single member constituency ballot)
- Is there a „campaign silence” in force on election day?
Although there is no campaign silence, certain limitations are enacted nevertheless:
- it is not permitted to hold election rallies,
- it is forbidden within a 150 perimeter of polling stations (in public space) to conduct campaign activity,
- no public announcements for requesting mobile ballot boxes, transport to polling stations may be posted and no specifically bus transport to polling stations is allowed,
- no political advertisements are allowed on radio and tv on election day.
- What are the requirements for conducting exit polls on election day?
- Persons conducting exit polls may not enter the site of polling stations on election day, cannot disturb voters in any way and may only ask voters leaving the building.
- The result of such polls may only be published after the closing of voting.
- Under what conditions am I allowed to vote on election day?
- Only those may cast their ballots who are enrolled in the local register.
- Voters have to provide proof of their identity (valid identity card, passport or driving license), and address (residence card) or personal identification number.
- Afterwards voters receive the stamped ballot paper(s), and prove it with their signature.
- Is it possible to vote with expired documents?
- Voters with expired ID documents must be turned down by the polling station commission.
- Voting with expired documents is also not possible even if some or all members of the polling station commission know the properly enrolled voter personally.
- Therefore it is of utmost importance, that voters check the status of their documents timely and take action to obtain valid ones prior election day.
- What is the timeframe of polling on election day?
Votes may be cast on 8 April from 6.00 am to 19.00 pm.
- What happens if I’m still standing in a queue after 19.00 waiting to vote?
- Voters already standing in line at 19.00 can cast their ballots.
- After 19.00 no additional voters may join the queue.
- How do I cast my vote?
- Valid votes may only be cast on candidates and nominating organizations on the ballot.
- Only one candidate or list can be voted for, multiple choices render the ballot invalid.
- Valid vote must be done with pen via two intersecting lines (cross, x or +) into the circle near or above the candidate/lists name.
- The ballot should be folded into an envelope and the envelope cast into the ballot box. (Using an envelope is not obligatory in domestic polling stations except absentee voters).
- Do I get a new ballot paper if I spoil mine?
- If a voter announces a spoiled ballot without having cast it into the box, the polling station commission revokes that ballot, puts it aside in a special envelope and issues a new one for the voter.
- A voter may request a new ballot only once.
- Is a ballot valid if it lacks an affixed stamp?
No, ballots without the official stamp used on site are not valid.
- Is the ballot valid without an envelope?
Yes. Using envelopes in domestic polling stations except cases of absentee voting is not compulsory.
- I have changed my name, how can I vote?
- Your new name will be automatically registered on the central electoral register. You can request the issuing of your new personal documents at a government window.
- To participate in the election, your particulars on the central electoral register need to appear in your personal documents (identity card, driving license, address card). For this to be done, we suggest you apply for new documents prior to the election.
- If, due to administrative reasons, one of your documents (e.g., your address card) contains your new name whereas another still bears your former name, your identity will be established by the polling station commission based on other particulars on your documents.
- The polling station commission will proceed the same way if you have not requested new documents until election day, and you want to identify yourself with your previous documents. In any case, it makes the identification easier if you bring with you an extract of your marriage certificate to the polling station , proving the name change.
- I am a disabled person. What help can I ask for?
- Voters with disability may request the following assistance from their election office in exercising their voting rights:
- notification in Braille transcription sent to their address,
- simplified information material sent to their address,
- use of a Braille voting template at the polling station or during mobile voting,
- use of an accessible polling station.
- Voters with a disability may request a mobile ballot box after the day of election has been set.
- A person chosen by you may help you while filling in the ballot paper, or if there is no such a person present, two members of the polling station commission can be at your service.
- Voters with disability may request the following assistance from their election office in exercising their voting rights:
- How can homeless people vote?
- In case a homeless person has a residence of settlement level, they have the right to vote at the polling station designated in that settlement.
- In case a homeless person does not have a residence of settlement level either, they should file their application for registration to any local election office or the National Election Office. (They should contact the local election office in person or by mail, and the National Election Office by mail or on-line.)
- When and how can I apply for changing polling district during the parliamentary election?
- A request for changing polling district (i. e. absentee voting) may be submitted by voters who will be within the territory of Hungary on election day, but in the area of a different polling district than the one of their Hungarian address.
- A request for changing polling district can be submitted to the local election office as per residence (or it can be requested even at the local election office per residence in person) no later than 16.00 o’clock on Friday 6 April 2018. The head of the local election office (the clerk) will not issue a written (printed) certification, but will register the voter’s name directly on the electoral list.
- It is also important to note that changing polling district allows voters to cast their votes for a candidate of their residence.
- Who can apply for a mobile ballot box and how?
- Applications for mobile voting may be submitted by voters listed in the polling district electoral register who are limited as to their movement:
- due to their health condition (or disability), or
- detention.
- Applications for mobile voting for any other reasons (e.g., convenience) will be rejected by the local election office or by the polling station commission.
- When voting by mobile ballot box, two members of the polling station commission go, on election day, to the address (e.g., a hospital) given by the voter.
- Mobile ballot box can be applied for from the local election office till 16.00 o’clock on 6 April 2018, or from the polling station commission till 15.00 o’clock on 8 April 2018, the day of the election.
- If, on election day, a person is in a different settlement than that of his residence, or he/ she is in the area of another polling district of the settlement of their residence, he can apply for a mobile box at that address. In this case, in a first step, he has to register on the electoral list of his residence. Once the new registration is done, he/ she can request a mobile ballot box.
- It is also important to note that those who have applied for a mobile ballot box cannot vote „by the normal way” at polling district, but only by mobile voting.
- Applications for mobile voting may be submitted by voters listed in the polling district electoral register who are limited as to their movement:
- Are my details given to the political parties?
- For the purpose of direct political campaigning, candidates and parties can obtain, by means of payments, the names and addresses of voters enrolled in the electoral register. But voters have also the right to prohibit the release of their details for campaign purposes. Request for prohibition can be filed in person at the local election office as of residence, by mail or here. For the request to be submitted by mail, a form can be downloaded here.
- If one has already requested the prohibition of their details (e.g., before the 2014 election), it remains valid until its withdrawal, and there is no need for another application.
- How do votes turn into mandates?
- During this one-round election, 199 members of the National Assembly are elected. 106 are elected in single member constituencies, whereas 93 are elected from national lists (which include party lists and national minority lists).
- The following chart shows you how votes for individual candidates, party lists and national minority lists turn into mandates. (Note that if two parties put forward a joint list, the threshold is 10%, if more than two parties do so, it is 15%.)
- What does d’Hondt matrix mean?
- D’Hondt matrix is a formula invented by the Belgian mathematician Victor d’Hondt which is used to convert votes into mandates in several countries in the world.
- Votes cast for each party are divided by one, two, three, four etc., then the numbers gained this way are put in decreasing order and in each row as many numbers are selected (always looking for the next bigger number) as there are mandates to be distributed.
- You can find an example below how 100 votes are converted into 12 mandates. (That is the 40 votes of party “A” result in 5 mandates, the 30 votes of party “B” result in 4 mandates, the 20 votes of party “C” result in 2 mandates, and the 10 votes of party “D” result in 1 mandate).
party A
40 votes
party B
30 votes
party C
20 votes
party D
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
- What electoral bodies do exist?
- There are two types of them: electoral offices and electoral commissions.
- The tasks pertaining to electoral offices:
- preparing elections,
- organizing elections,
- the conduct of elections,
- providing information, and
- handling data.
- The tasks pertaining to electoral commissions:
- to determine the result of elections,
- ensuring the fairness and legality of elections,
- ensuring impartiality, and, if necessary,
- to restore legal order.
- Which electoral bodies are at work in a parliamentary election?
- These are the election offices having a role in parliamentary elections:
- local election offices
- parliamentary single member constituency election offices
- territorial election offices
- election offices at foreign representations
- the National Election Office.
- These are the election commissions having a role in parliamentary elections:
- polling station commissions (in settlements with a single polling district, the powers and responsibilities of the polling station commission are taken up by the local electoral commission)
- parliamentary single member constituency election commissions
- the National Election Commission.
- These are the election offices having a role in parliamentary elections:
- What is the National Election Office, and what are its tasks?
- The National Election Office (NEO) is an autonomous government agency. The NEO is independent, and subject only to the law; it may not be bound by any instructions regarding its duties, and it carries out its tasks independently of other bodies and free of outside influence.
- The National Election Office primarily informs voters and candidates, and carries out organizational tasks related to preparing and conducting elections.
- What is the National Election Commission, and what are its tasks?
- The primary tasks of the NEC are to determine the result of elections, ensuring the fairness and legality of elections, ensuring impartiality, and, if necessary, to restore the legal order.
- The NEC also decides: on the registration of nominating organisations; on the timeframe for broadcasting political advertisement of those entitled in the linear media services of public media service; on lodging objection regarding the work of election offices at foreign representations; on objections that do not fall in the competence of parliamentary single member constituency election commissions and the place where the acts were committed are impossible to determine. Furthermore, the NEC adjudicates appeals against decisions taken by parliamentary single member constituency election commissions, as well as objections to the participation in the electoral campaign of media content providers, the press and cinemas. It may initiate procedures by the body with the relevant authority, if it discovers a breach of the law.
- The NEC supervises the counting of postal votes by the NEO, determines the result of the postal voting, and determines the result of the national lists.
- The NEC publishes a notice about the result of tallied votes on a national scale.
- Who are the members of the National Election Commission?
- The seven members and three alternate members of the National Election Commission shall be elected by Parliament for a term of nine years on the proposal of the President of the Republic. They shall require the vote of two-thirds of Members of Parliament present. The current members of the NEC were elected on 30 September 2015.
- Political parties can also delegate members to the NEC as follows:
- from the inaugural session of the Parliament to the setting of the day of the election of the next Parliament those parties having a group in Parliament can delegate a member each to the NEC,
- from the day on which the date of the election of the Parliament has been set to the day on which the national lists have been registered, the National Election Commission operates without any delegated member,
- from the day on which their registration has become final till the inaugural session of the Parliament, each party that has put forward a national list may delegate a member to the National Election Commission. Each national minority self-government that has put forward a national list may delegate a member to the National Election Commission, however these members are allowed to vote only in cases regarding the national minorities.
- I noticed irregularities in the election. What shall I do?
- In this case you can submit an objection to the competent electoral commission, namely:
- to a parliamentary single mandate constituency election commission
- in a case which is linked to the constituency in question,
- in a case which is linked to what happened in the polling station,
- in the case of an irregularity committed by a regional or local media service provider, or an on-demand media service provider, or a press product that is not distributed on country level (in these cases, the objection has to be lodged to the commission competent in the area of the registered office of the media content provider), or
- to the National Election Commission, in any other cases.
- to a parliamentary single mandate constituency election commission
- The objection shall contain
- a reference made to the legal violation;
- the proofs of that legal violation (except for cases linked to the media);
- the name, address (registered office address), and – if it is different from the address (registered office address) – postal address of the person submitting the objection;
- the personal identification number of the person submitting the objection, or – if that person lives abroad and does not have a Hungarian address, nor does he have a personal identification number – the type and number of the document proving that he/ she is a Hungarian national, or – in the case of nominating organizations or other organizations – the registration number issued by a judicial court.
- In this case you can submit an objection to the competent electoral commission, namely:
- What should voters having residence in Hungary do, if they would like to vote abroad?
- Requests for entry in the foreign representation register can be submitted by voters who will probably be abroad on election day.
- These requests for entry in the foreign representation register shall arrive to the municipality clerk at 16.00 o’clock 31 March 2018. Requests can be filed in person, via mail, or on the website www.valasztas.hu.
- Can Hungarian citizens having residence in Hungary, but staying abroad vote via mail, or just at foreign representations?
Voters having residence in Hungary and staying abroad may not cast their votes via mail, only in person at foreign representations.
- Is it possible to change the venue of the polling station in the foreign representation list?
Voters enrolled in the foreign representation voters list can modify the venue of voting not later than 16.00 o’clock 31 March.
- Is it possible to ask for deletion from the foreign representation voters list if a voter would rather like to vote in Hungary?
Voters registered in the foreign representation voters list can ask for deletion from the foreign representation voters list not later than 16.00 o’clock 31 March.
- How can I appeal against the rejection of my enrolment in the foreign representation voters list?
One can lodge an appeal to the local election office not later than the third day after receiving the information (via email or telefax), or till 16.00 o’clock 6 April at latest.
- How shall I know where I can vote abroad?
Contacts of Hungarian foreign representations (embassies, consulates) can be found here.
- When does voting take place at foreign representations?
The date of voting at foreign representations:
Location
on the American continent
in Western European or Western African countries where the time difference is -1 hour or -2 hours compared to Central European time
countries using the (Hungarian) Central European time zone, or those to the East of that
some countries (e.g.)
USA, Argentina, Canada
Ireland, Morocco, UK, Portugal
Australia, Austria, Belgium, South-Africa, China, Germany, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia
election day
7 April (Saturday)
8 April (Sunday)
8 April (Sunday)
starting time of voting
6.00 o’clock local time
6.00 o’clock local time
6.00 o’clock local time
closing time of voting
19.00 o’clock local time
19.00 o’clock Central European (Hungarian) time
19.00 o’clock local time
- What are the main characteristics of voting at foreign representation?
- Before voting at foreign representations voters should identify themselves at the polling station by a valid Hungarian identification card, Hungarian passport or Hungarian driving license, but contrary to domestic voting identification by an address card is not required for voting.
- When voting at foreign representations ballot papers must be put and sealed in an envelope. Not doing so the ballot is not valid.
- Mobile voting (i.e. application for a mobile ballot box) at foreign representations is not possible.
- Can voters having no residence in Hungary (out-of-country citizens) take part in the election?
- Yes, they can. Under Article XXIII of the Hungarian Fundamental Law each Hungarian adult has the right to take part in the parliamentary election.
- Here you can see how many Hungarian citizens having no residence in Hungary are enrolled in the central registration list.
- Are the out-of-country citizens from the Carpathian Basin the only ones who can make use of this possibility?
- Any Hungarian voters can request to be registered even if they do not have a Hungarian residence.
- Namely, regardless of the country the Hungarian citizen lives in, and regardless of the citizenship he might have besides his Hungarian one.
- How long can you request to be registered?
· The electoral registration is an on-going process.
· However, only those out-of-country citizens are allowed to take part in the upcoming election, whose application for the electoral registration has arrived to the National Election Office latest by 16.00 o’clock 24 March 2018.
- How can you request to be registered?
· The electoral registration is an on-going process.
· However, only those out-of-country citizens are allowed to take part in the upcoming election, whose application for the electoral registration has arrived to the National Election Office latest by 16.00 o’clock 24 March 2018.
- How can you request to be registered?
· Requests can be submitted via mail or here.
· Requests for electoral registration can be submitted via mail and can be downloaded here. There are also instructions for completing the form (“Information on the submission of the request for enrolment to the central electoral register”) is useful to read. Information in English, German and French can be found on our website.
· Requests can be printed in colour and in black and white, and can be copied freely.
· Requests should be mailed to: National Election Office, 1397 Budapest, Pf.: 547, Hungary.
- In what cases can I request to be registered?
· Hungarian citizenship is needed for the electoral registration.
· Enrolment can be requested if the applicant
o has a personal identification number (can be found on the address card) or
o a valid Hungarian passport, or
o can certify him/herself with a document of naturalization or
o with a certificate of citizenship,
and
o has neither a residence nor a residence in Hungary,
o is over 17 years of age or is over 16 and is married, and the marriage has been registered in Hungary,
and
o has not been disfranchised by Hungarian court.
· In order to vote in the upcoming election the requests for registration should arrive to the National Election Office no later than 16.00 o’clock 24 March. Although Hungarian citizens over the age of 17 can request their enrolment, only adult voters are allowed to take part in the election.
· Whether the voter is enrolled through registration or is automatically registered in the electoral register depends on what residence or residence he/she has, according to the Hungarian address register. Regarding this issue the following table provides a good guidance:
residence
temporary residence
type of enrolment
1.
Hungarian address
Hungarian address
automatic
2.
Hungarian address
none
automatic
3.
foreign address
Hungarian address
registration!
4.
foreign address
none
registration!
5.
none
Hungarian address
automatic
6.
none
none
registration!
7.
if not enrolled in the address register
registration!
o e.g. if the Hungarian voter is enrolled by his/her foreign address in the address register (address printed in the address card), he/she should register in order to exercise his/her voting rights, even if he/she has (3. row) or does not have (4. row) a temporary residence.
o Only those can be enrolled in the electoral register, who according to the address register are not registered (7. row) or have neither residence nor residence in Hungary (6. row).
- There is no need for registration if one has a residence in Hungary (1. and 2. row) or if one has neither Hungarian nor foreign address enrolled in the address registration, but has a valid Hungarian residence according to his address card (5. row). In these cases you will be enrolled automatically, thus there is nothing else to do.
· Those who have already registered before or after the parliamentary election in 2014 do not need to apply for registration for another 10 years.
- Do those Hungarian out-of-country voters need to register again, who have already registered before or after the 2014 elections?
- No, they do not. Those out-of-country citizens having no residence in Hungary, who have registered before or after the 2014 elections are still on the electoral roll, thus they do not need to apply for enrolment again.
- At the same time if your address has been changed since the registration or would like to receive the ballot paper at another address, or your marital status, name has been changed then you ought to submit an application for modification.
- My family member died after registration. What do I have to do?
- If your family member of Hungarian citizenship died, the Hungarian consulate nearby should be notified in order to make the necessary changes in the death registration.
- Death registration is free of charge.
- How many people have already been enrolled for the elections, and what do we know about them?
· The National Election Office makes the number of received applications - from those having no Hungarian residence - for registration available on its website and updates them daily.
· Who registers from a country, where dual citizenship is banned (Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine), can find his/her postal address, without indicating the country, under the label “Total number of applicants from countries banning dual citizenship”.
- Currently I live abroad. I do not have a Hungarian residence, but prior to the elections I will move to Hungary. Do I have to register now, or shall I automatically be enrolled?
If you receive a Hungarian residence until latest 16.00 o’clock 6 April, you do not need to register, you will be enrolled automatically.
- I have already registered before, but now I live in Hungary, how can I vote?
- If you established a place of residence in Hungary until 1 April – and notified the authorities about the change of residence - you will be automatically enrolled into the polling station electoral list according to your residence. In this case you can vote in person at the polling station according to your residence.
- Those who received the voting package based on registration can only vote for the candidate of the constituency in person. In this case you can vote for the party list by sending back the ballot paper delivered to you, thus by postal voting.
- How can enrolled voters receive the voting package?
· The National Election Office mails the voting package to the address (in Hungary or abroad) that has been indicated in the application form by the Hungarian voter, who has already registered, and has no Hungarian residence.
· Voters may ask, in the application for registration, to collect the voting package in person. In this case it can be collected during working hours on weekdays two weeks prior to election day.
o in the single member constituencies,
o in designated Hungarian municipalities close to the border, or
o at designated foreign representations of Hungary
- I would like to receive the voting package elsewhere as I did in 2014. What shall I do?
· Voters may change their address, where they would like to receive the ballot paper or can do so in connection with their already given details.
· This application – like the one for enrolment – can be filled in and submitted via mail or here.
- What does the voting package consist of?
The voting package consists of the following:
o the ballot paper for voting via mail (that is valid without a stamp),
o a declaration form needed to identify the voter,
o an envelope to put the ballot into (inner, small envelope),
o a self-addressed envelope, where the address of the National Election Office has already been indicated, and can be mailed free of charge (even from abroad),
o information on how to vote.
- What ballot paper do postal voters receive?
- Postal voters can only vote for the national party list.
- They cannot vote either for the national minority list or for the candidate of a constituency.
- What is the procedure of voting by mail?
The procedure of voting by mail is as follows:
o the voter fills in the ballot paper of postal voting,
o places the ballot paper into the inner, small envelope,
o closes the inner envelope,
o completely fills in the declaration of identification
o places the inner envelope and the declaration of identification into the big reply envelope and closes it.
The vote is not valid if
o the inner envelope or the reply envelope is not closed,
o the identification declaration is not in the reply envelope,
o the small envelope is not in the reply envelope,
o the identification declaration is not filled in or is not signed,
o the data on the identification declaration are not equal with the ones registered,
o the ballot paper is not in the small envelope,
o the ballot paper is not filled in,
o the voter did not vote with the sign + or X,
- if the voter cast his ballot for more parties at the same time.
- How can enrolled voters return the voting package?
The voting package
o can be mailed free; it should arrive at the National Election Office until 24:00 7 April at the National Election Office,
o can be submitted at any of the foreign representations ( the Consulate General in Berehove/Beregszász, Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda, Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvár,Subotica/Szabadka and Uzhhorod/Ungvár are open with extended office hours) during working hours on weekdays two weeks prior to or on election day, between 9.00 and 16.00o’clock on election day,
o can be submitted at election offices of any single member constituency between 06.00 and 19:00 o’ clock (on election day) 8 April.
- How long is the electoral registration valid?
- Hungarian citizens having no residence in Hungary are registered on the electoral roll for a period of ten years commencing from the date of registration.
- The 10-year period shall begin to run automatically in case of data modification or taking part in the elections.
- Do those not wanting to take part in the referendum need to cancel their registration?
· Those Hungarian voters having no residence in Hungary who do not want to participate in the referendum do not need to do anything: postal ballot paper needn’t be sent back to or collected at the foreign representation.
· Those voters with no Hungarian residence can apply for deletion from the electoral roll at any time. In this case they will not receive a voting package, cannot vote in the upcoming elections unless they re-register again.