Voting by non-Hungarian citizens in local government and European Parliament elections
Are you living in Hungary as a citizen of another EU country, a non-EU country or as a refugee? This guide will help you find out if and how you can vote in the upcoming local (municipal) elections and elections to the European Parliament as a non-Hungarian citizen.
In 2024, these two elections will be held on the same day, 9 June. In local elections, we vote for the mayor and the members of the body of representatives, which is the decision-making body of the municipality. In the European Parliament elections we vote for Hungary’s MEPs in the European Parliament.
Why should you vote in local and EP elections?
If you are living in Hungary, Hungarian and EU policies affect you and your daily life. This is especially true for local politics, which you can influence through local elections. In the local elections in your area of residence, you can express your opinion on which candidate or party you support and have a say in the running of your local government. You can participate in the decision on who should represent you in local government, who should be the mayor, which party’s list should be elected to the county or metropolitan assembly. This is particularly important because it is possible to represent your own interests or those of the local political community through the mayor or deputies. They are easier to approach if you want to take action on an issue, and they are the ones who know the problems at local level.
The European Parliament is one of the most important bodies of the Union, so EP elections have a big impact on your life. For example, on certain issues the EU makes the laws that the Member States are obliged to transpose. These include regulations on the environment, migration, social policy, consumer rights, privacy, the economy and the rule of law. The European Parliament also has a say in who the Commissioners of the European Commission (EC) will be. The European Commission is the EU body that prepares legislation. So by electing MEPs, you also have an influence on this.
Who has the right to vote?
You can vote in local elections if you are over the age of eighteen
- with European Union citizenship who is resident in Hungary,
- have been granted refugee status,
- you have long-term residence in Hungary.
You can vote in the EP elections (on Hungarian MEPs) if you are over the age of eighteen with European Union citizenship. Furthermore, you have to register as a voter here by the 24th of May 16:00. You can find more information on the website of the National Election Office.
This means that only EU citizens who are resident in Hungary can vote in both elections. As a refugee or long-term resident, you cannot vote in EP elections.
How do I know if I have long-term resident status?
You have a long-term resident status, if
- you have been granted an immigration, permanent residence, temporary residence, national permanent residence or EC permanent residence permit before 1 January 2024 (when the new Act. XC. of 2023 on the general rules for the entry and residence of third-country nationals (also known as Btátv.) enters into force),
- you have obtained a temporary, national or EU residence card since 1 January 2024
What do I need to do if I am a citizen of another EU country and I want to vote in municipal or EP elections in Hungary?
At the municipal elections, if you have a place of residence in Hungary, you are automatically registered for local elections there, and you can cast your vote in your place of residence on election day. This means you will be automatically entered on the municipal electoral roll. You cannot vote in local elections without a Hungarian residence.
At the EP elections, you have to register here in order to be able to exercise your right to vote in Hungary. If you register, you will have the right to vote for the Hungarian MEP list.
Is it possible that I am not on the municipal electoral roll as a national of another EU Member State although I have a place of residence in Hungary?
If you cease to reside in Hungary or lose your right to vote for any other reason you will be automatically removed from the electoral roll.
Can I be a candidate as a foreigner in municipal and EP elections?
Only if you are an adult citizen of another EU country. If you are a refugee or a third-country national, you cannot run as a candidate in neither of the elections.
How can I vote?
Before the day of the elections, you will receive a notice to your place of residence which includes the necessary electoral information. From this notice you will be able to know where you can cast your vote.
On the day of the elections, bring your valid documents with you to the designated address. If you are voting in your temporary place of residence, pay particular attention to validity. You must sign the electoral roll and then you can go to a voting booth to vote. You have to write a clearly visible X on the ballot next to the appropriate number of candidates. In general, you can vote for only one candidate per ballot, except when you’re voting in municipalities with less than 10 000 citizens (see below). Finally you should put the ballot in the ballot box.
The electoral system
Municipal elections
Election of mayors
In all types of municipalities, mayors are elected in local elections. Everyone can vote for one candidate on the ballot. The candidate which recivies the most vote will be elected as mayor. There is no validity threshold, the result will be valid regardless of how many people turn out to vote in a given town, village or district. Residents of Budapest will elect the mayor of their own district on a separate ballot, and will also elect the mayor of Budapest.
Election of the municipal council in municipalities with fewer than 10 000 citizens
In municipalities with 10 000 citizens or less, the whole municipality forms a single constituency and the number of elected members depends on the size of the municipality.
Each voter may vote for a maximum total number of candidates equal to the number of members of the municipal council.
Election of the representative body in municipalities with a population of more than 10 000 citizens
In municipalities with more than 10 000 citizens , the body of representatives is made up of representatives elected in single-member constituencies and representatives who have obtained a seat on a compensatory list.
In the constituencies, the candidate with the highest number of valid votes will be elected. You can read more about the compensation list in the What is a compensation list? section below.
The capital city: Budapest
In the past, the Council of Budapest was made up of the mayors of the districts, the mayor of Budapest and the members who were elected from the compensatory list. Now, the voters will be able to vote for lists of parties and associations, and candidates will be elected to the Council of Budapest in proportion to the votes cast. The Council of Budapest has 32 members, including the mayor of Budapest.
County councils
In addition to municipal councils , all counties have county councils, which are mainly responsible for inter-municipal coordination, spatial development and rural development. In the election of the county assembly, the whole county forms a single constituency, where everyone has the opportunity to vote for a single list. Residents of cities with county rights (mainly the seats of the county) and the city of Budapest do not have the right to vote in elections to the county council.
How does the compensatory list work?
The number of candidates on the compensatory list who are elected to the municipality councils is determined by the so-called fractional votes. The fractional votes are the votes casted for those who did not win a seat. Candidates from a compensatory list may be nominated by the nominating organisations which have obtained at least 5 percent of the fractional votes in the municipality concerned. If they have set up a joint list with another organisation, they must have obtained at least 10 percent of the votes.
For example, a city of 70 000 inhabitants is divided into 12 constituencies, so there are 12 members of the city council from individual constituencies. In addition, however, 5 other candidates have the possibility to obtain a seat from a compensatory list, so that the representative body will consist of 17 members in total.
Suppose the graph shows the results for one constituency. The candidate of the Blue Party got the most votes in the first constituency, so he becomes the MP. However, the votes cast for the two other parties’ candidates are not wasted either, with the Red Party getting 300 votes and the Green Party 400 votes for its compensation list. Once the votes casted for the losing candidates from the other constituencies are added to the parties’ compensation lists, the allocation of the remaining seats will begin. In case an independent candidate does not win a set, the votes casted for the candidate will not be used as invidual candidates have no compensational list.
EP elections
At the European Parliament (EP) elections you decide who will represent Hungary in the European Parliament. The 21 seats for Hungary in the European Parliament will be allocated to the party lists that get at least 5% of the votes. The parties on the list will share the seats proportionally. The EP elections will be held not only in Hungary but in all EU Member States in 2024. You can vote for a Hungarian EP list if you have a Hungarian place of residence and EU citizenship. If you don’t have a Hungarian residence but are a citizen of another EU country, you can vote for one of the EP lists of your own nationality according to the rules of the country of your nationality. If you want to vote for the Hungarian EP list, you have to register here.
Voting at another address
In local elections, you can only vote either in your place of residence or your temporary place of residence (both must be official, which means they must be indicated on your address card). If you have an official temporary place of residence (established no later than the 11th of February, 2024), you can also vote in your temporary place of residence. In order to be able to vote there you must re register at your place of residence by one of the following methods:
- via the Client Portal (unfortunately this is only in Hungarian so you will need assistance if you decide to proceed with this method),
- with eID or with a valid ID card and video facial identification (also known as „remote identification”),
- in person at any government office,
- in person at any local election office (notary),
- at any local election office with the assistance of a delivery agent. The delivery agent must provide proof of identity and proof that he or she is authorized to represent you.
Be careful! The application must be received by the local election office no later than the 9th day before the vote (4pm on 31 May 2024).
It is important to note that in this case you vote for the candidate of your official temporary place of residence, not your permanent place of residence! So, if you live in your place of residence, but on election’s day you would be in your official residence, so you transfer your registration there, you will not be voting on issues that affect your daily life, since you will not be affected by the decisions of the mayor or the representative.
Let’s look at this example: you grew up in the XVI. district in Budapest. You choose to move to the 3rd district temporarily and register your new address as your temporary place of residency, but this will last only for a few years because later on you will want to move back to the 16th district. Your life is either determined by the decisions of the representatives and mayor of the 16th district or, as long as you live in the 3rd district, by the decisions of the local government. So this means that you belong either to the political community of the 16th or the 3rd district. The decision is yours to make. The reason why you cannot vote in a third place, such as Balatonboglár where you are spending your holidays on the 9th June is that the composition of Balatonboglár’s local government can only affect a minimal part of your daily life.
In EP elections, you can register to vote anywhere in Hungary, even in a third place other than your temporary or permanent place of residence. You will also be able to vote there. However, in municipal elections, you cannot vote in any place other than your temporary or permanent place of residence. This is because municipalities and mayors decide on local public matters, so it is important that they are elected by local residents.
Beyond voting, how can I participate in the elections?
You can also take part in the happenings around the elections in an alternative way. You can do campaign activity during the campaign, and if you are a European citizen with permanent residency in Hungary, you can also become a member of the ballot counting committee. In the following questions, you will find information about these.
The campaign period in legal terms starts on 20 April and runs until election’s day. These 50 days are for candidates and organisations to convince voters to vote for them in the elections. For enhanced visibility candidates can use campaign tools, which – if used – are considered to fall in the category of campaign activity. The campaign period has very specific rules, which must be respected.
An activity is considered a campaign activity if two conditions are met at the same time:
- it is suitable for influencing the will of the voters, or it is specifically aimed at influencing the will of the voters, and
- it takes place or is used between the 50th day before the elections and the day of the elections.
You are allowed to organise and participate in…
Campaigning and leafleting during the campaign period
During the campaign period, public space not exceeding 4 square meters may be used freely for leafleting, campaigning and collecting signatures. This means that no public space reservation permit is required.
The purpose of these activities is to familiarise voters with the candidates and their manifesto. If you would like to play an active role in the campaign, find a campaign team of a candidate you like!
Election assemblies
Election assemblies, more popularly known as election forums, are events where candidates can be heard and questioned. You can either organize or participate in such assemblies.
What happens if someone violates the rules of the campaign period?
You can file an election objection, which may be filed against unlawful campaign activity. Be careful! The objection must be received by the election commission by 4 p.m. on the third day following the date of the violation. If you need help writing a complaint, please contact our Legal Aid Service via our hotline (+3630 722 33 56) or email (jogsegely@tasz.hu).
What can I do as a member of the ballot counting committee?
If you are a European citizen with permanent residency in Hungary, you can also become a member of the ballot counting committee.
On the day of the election, the members of the ballot counting committee shall conduct and ensure the legal supervision of the day of the ballot. They assist in identifying voters, handing out ballot papers, supervising the cleanliness of the election, reporting any irregularities and at the end of the day they do the vote count.
If you have any questions, contact our Legal Aid Service via email (jogsegely@tasz.hu) or call our hotline (+36 30 722 33 56)!
