Five Important Questions and Answers About the Vienna Election 2025
On April 27, around 1.1 million eligible voters in Vienna are called to elect a new municipal council. Since Vienna is both a federal state and a municipality, the municipal council is also the state parliament, and the mayor is also the governor. On the same day, the district councils of the 23 Viennese municipal districts will also be newly determined. Since around 265,000 non-Austrian EU citizens are also allowed to vote here, the number of eligible voters climbs to around 1.4 million.
Who is allowed to vote?
In the municipal council election, all those who had Austrian citizenship and a main residence in Vienna on the cut-off date of the election (January 28) are allowed to vote. Additionally, they must not be excluded from voting due to a court conviction and must have reached the age of 16 by the election day (April 27). Since the municipal council is also the state parliament, non-Austrian EU citizens are not allowed to vote. The election of the state parliament is reserved for Austrian citizens according to the Austrian federal constitution. However, in the district council election, non-Austrian EU citizens are also allowed to vote, provided they meet the above-mentioned criteria.
In what ways can I vote?
To cast your vote, you basically have two options: either in person at the polling station on election day or by postal vote. The latter also offers various options. Before the election, all eligible voters receive a so-called "official election information" by mail. This indicates which polling station is responsible.
If you are likely to be unable to vote on election day, you can request a voting card - this can be done in writing or online until April 23. In person, you can apply for the voting cards until April 25 at 12 noon. This is the Friday before the election. The completed voting card must then be sent to the responsible district election authority in time - for example, postage-free by mail, by courier, or by personal delivery. In any case, you must ensure that the voting card arrives by 5 p.m. on election day at the latest.
If you pick up the voting card in person at the responsible election office, you can also fill it out there and hand it in immediately if you wish. Shielded areas are available for voting.
If you have applied for a voting card but decide to vote at the polling station, this is also possible. But beware: In this case, you must bring your issued voting card with you, even if it is your own polling station.
What do I need to bring to the polling station?
Anyone voting at the polling station must have a valid official photo ID (passport, identity card, driver's license, student ID) to identify themselves. eIDs cannot be verified at the election office and are therefore not accepted. However, the "official election information" does not need to be presented. It is recommended to bring it to simplify the process. If you have applied for a voting card but want to fill out your ballot at the polling station, you must - as mentioned - definitely bring it there - unfilled, including its contents.
How do I fill out the ballot correctly?
At the polling station, after confirming your identity, you receive the official ballots from the election officer, along with an empty blue envelope for the municipal council election and a small yellow election envelope for the district council election. The ballots are then filled out in secret in the voting booth, placed in the envelope, and cast into the ballot box.
In the voting booth, you typically mark the desired party with a cross. The ballot is validly filled out whenever the chosen party is clearly marked. The vote is counted even if the party is ticked instead of crossed, or if all parties except one are crossed out.
Additionally, it is possible to give preference votes to candidates of the chosen party. In the municipal council election, three preference votes are possible: one for the electoral district and two for the city-wide proposal. In the designated fields, you enter their names or ranking numbers, which are derived from the party lists. It is not possible to choose a party and simultaneously give preference votes to individuals from another party.
When is a ballot invalid?
The legislator is quite lenient here, as long as it is clearly recognizable which party list the voter intended to choose. This is also the case if the voter places a cross or another mark in one of the circles pre-printed to the left of each party designation with ink, colored pencil, pencil, or the like, and it is unambiguously clear that they intended to choose the party list mentioned in the same line. The ballot is also valid if this is done, for example, by ticking, underlining, other appropriate marking, or crossing out the other contesting parties.
A ballot is invalid if a non-official one is used, or if the ballot is damaged by tearing off a part in such a way that it is no longer unambiguously clear which party list the voter intended to choose, or if no party list and no candidate is marked at all. The vote is also invalid if the voter marks two or more party lists or candidates from different party lists, or if the mark made by the voter does not clearly indicate which party list they intended to choose.
You must also be careful to ensure that the ballots are placed in the correct envelope. For example, the one for the municipal council election should not be accidentally placed in the district council election envelope, or vice versa.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.