EP elections: FAQ for EU citizens in Hungary
1. When will the European Parliamentary elections be held in Hungary?
2. What can I vote for in the Hungarian EP elections?
3. Who is eligible to vote in the EP elections in Hungary?
7. Is it obligatory to vote once I’m registered as a voter?
8. Where should I go to cast my vote?
9. What do I need to bring to the polls?
11. May I stand for election as a MEP candidate in Hungary?
1. When will the European Parliamentary elections be held in Hungary?
On 25 May 2014 (Sunday), from 6am to 7pm.
2. What can I vote for in the Hungarian EP elections?
You can vote for closed party lists. Hungary has 21 seats in the EP (which has altogether 751 seats). Hungarian seats are distributed on a proportional representation basis among those party lists which collect at least 5% of the votes.
3. Who is eligible to vote in the EP elections in Hungary?
If you are a citizen of any EU member state, reside in Hungary, and are at least 18 years old, you are eligible to vote for the Members of the European Parliament representing Hungary. If you are not a Hungarian citizen, you have to file a registration request in order to get onto the electoral rolls (see Question 5 below). Voter registration is not automatic for non-Hungarian citizens.
4. Are there any restrictions on the voting rights of non-Hungarian citizens in the Hungarian EP elections?
On the one hand, you are eligible to vote only if a Hungarian citizen in your circumstances is eligible to vote. For example, if a Hungarian court has restricted your right to vote as a criminal sanction, you may not participate in the elections as long as the term of the sanction has not elapsed. Additionally, you are only eligible to vote if you are at least 18 even if your country of citizenship applies a lower age limit to the right to vote. (If you prove ineligible only on this basis, and want to exercise your right to vote, but you cannot leave Hungary to cast your vote in your country of citizenship, see also Question 10 below.)
On the other hand, Hungary also applies voting rights restrictions imposed by other EU member states on their own citizens. Thus, if you are not eligible to participate in the EP election in your country of citizenship (e.g., because you are under guardianship or you are ineligible to vote as a criminal sanction), you may not cast your vote in Hungary either.
5. I am a citizen of an EU member state other than Hungary, but I want to vote for the Hungarian MEP candidates. How can I do that?
If you are eligible to vote (see Question 3 and Question 4 above), you have to request your registration as a voter in the EP elections. Once you are registered to cast your vote for the MEPs representing Hungary, you may no longer cast your vote in the EP elections in any other member states, including your country of citizenship. (Of course, you are entitled to choose again where you want to exercise your right to vote in future EP elections.)
Registration requests must be received by 9 May 2014 (Friday), 4pm.
Voter registration requests may be filed on-line here (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the English menu item “Application of enrolment/deletion from the electoral register at the European Parliamentary Election”). Alternatively, you may lodge your request to the Local Election Office (“Helyi Választási Iroda”) in person or via mail (in which case we recommend you send it as registered mail with a return receipt [“tértivevényes ajánlott küldemény]): forms may be downloaded from here, but these offline forms are available only in Hungarian. Contact information regarding your Local Election Office can be found here.
6. I am a citizen of an EU member state other than Hungary, and I wanted to vote for the Hungarian MEP candidates, but I’ve changed my mind. What can I do now?
If you have already requested registration as a voter in the EP elections in Hungary, but you want to exercise your right to vote in a different member state instead, you may withdraw your registration.
Registration withdrawal requests must be received by 15 May 2014 (Friday), 4pm.
Withdrawal requests may be filed on-line here (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the English menu item “Application of enrolment/deletion from the electoral register at the European Parliamentary Election”). Alternatively, you may lodge your request to the Local Election Office (“Helyi Választási Iroda”) in person or via mail (in which case we recommend you send it as registered mail with a return receipt [“tértivevényes ajánlott küldemény]). Forms may be downloaded for printing from here, but these offline forms are available only in Hungarian. Contact information regarding your Local Election Office can be found here.
7. Is it obligatory to vote once I’m registered as a voter?
No. Unlike in some other member states of the EU, participation in the EP elections is only a right but not a legal obligation in Hungary.
8. Where should I go to cast my vote?
You will receive a notification – in Hungarian – informing you that you have been registered as a voter for the EP elections. This notification also specifies the address of your polling station. Addresses of the polling stations will also be made available on the website of the National Election Office.
9. What do I need to bring to the polls?
If you are not a Hungarian citizen, you are required to show the following at the polling station so as to be allowed to cast your vote:
(1) passport or ID issued by your country of citizenship, AND
(2) Hungarian address card ["lakcímet igazoló hatósági igazolvány", also known informally as "lakcímkártya"]
10. I am a citizen of an EU member state other than Hungary, and I want to vote for the MEP candidates of my country of citizenship. Can I vote for them in Hungary?
You are only eligible to vote only in your country of residence. If you reside in Hungary, you can only vote for the candidates of the MEPs representing Hungary—and only if you are elgibile to vote in Hungary. Yet if you are a resident of your home country, and you are eligible to vote there, it is possible that you may cast an absentee ballot without physically leaving Hungary. Whether there is an absentee voting procedure available for such purposes depends on the electoral procedure of your country of citizenship.
11. May I stand for election as a MEP candidate in Hungary?
Yes, you may if (1) you are a citizen of an EU member state, (2) you reside in Hungary, (3) you are at least 18, (4) no Hungarian court has restricted your right to vote, and (5) your right to stand for elections has not been restricted in your country of citizenship (as a form of criminal sanction or because you are under guardianship).
