This year, local government and European Parliament elections will be held, both on the same day, June 9, 2024. Who will be the mayor of the settlement and who will be the representatives is decided based on our votes cast in the local government election. In the European Parliament elections, we vote on who will represent Hungary in the European Parliament. Election 2024: we show you the most important information about voting. Everything in one place about when the campaign starts, how long you can re-register if you were to vote in another settlement, how you can vote from abroad and what to do if you haven’t received a voting notice.
Election 2024: what you need to know about the municipal election
Mayors and members of the local representative body are elected in the municipal elections. In Budapest, we elect a mayor and vote on the members of the capital assembly, and we also vote by district on who should be the district mayor. In non-county settlements, the members of the county self-government must also be elected.
The election on June 9, 2024 will also be about – whether we live in a city or a village – who will lead our settlements, our district and who will be the ones who will make decisions in matters affecting our lives.
Election 2024: what you need to know about the European Parliament elections
In the European Parliament, i.e. EP elections, we vote on who will represent Hungary in the European Parliament. In this case, the ballot will be the same everywhere, since here you have to vote on a national party list. There will not be a single winner here, but the parties that nominated the list will receive proportional representation from the seats. There are 21 representative mandates, which are divided between party lists that obtain at least 5% of the votes. EP elections are held in all member states.
When does the campaign start and how many recommendations do the candidates have to collect?
The official election campaign started on Saturday, April 20, when we can give recommendations to the candidates and lists.
In the EP elections, only the party that collects 20,000 valid recommendations from voters by 4 p.m. on May 3 can present a list. In the election of local government representatives and mayors, the number of recommendations required for candidacy was determined by the clerks based on the population of the settlements. Candidates for the mayoral election
- in settlements with more than ten thousand but less than one hundred thousand inhabitants, at least 300,
- in settlements with more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, they must collect at least 500 recommendations,
- five thousand recommendations are required for the mayoral candidacy.
Candidates must collect their recommendations by 4:00 p.m. on May 6.
Election 2024: this is how EU citizens can vote
European Union citizens residing in Hungary can also vote in the June European Parliament election and the municipal election to be held at the same time. The difference is that in the EP elections, an application is required to vote in Hungary, while in the local government elections, registration is done automatically.
The National Electoral Office (NVI) has already informed those concerned that they can request to be registered in Hungary for the EP elections until May 24. This can be done online or at any mayor’s office. And they are automatically added to the voter’s list in the local government election.
A European Union citizen who wishes to live in Hungary with the right to vote in the EP elections can request to be registered in the register by the following methods until May 24 at 4:00 p.m.:
- online at https://www.valasztas.hu,
- or in person
- or by proxy at any local election office operating in the mayor’s offices.
After registration, the electoral bodies of the European Union countries inform each other about the country in which their citizens requested their registration in the EP election. In such cases, the voter is deleted from the register in his home country, thus preventing someone from voting in more than one place.
Anyone who has been added to the Hungarian contact list can request its deletion until May 30 at 4 p.m.
Everything you need to know about transferring
The conditions for municipal elections are different from other voting. The voter cannot register to any settlement in Hungary, only to the one where he has already established a place of residence 30 days before the election.
In the EP election, voters residing in Hungary can also transfer to any other settlement in Hungary. On the other hand, re-registration in municipal elections is subject to the following conditions: it is important to know that if the voter if you transfer to a settlement where you do not have a place of residence, you can only vote in the EP election in the designated voting district of the indicated settlement, while in the local government election, he remains in the register of the voting district according to his place of residence.
If someone is not present at their place of residence (previously known as their permanent address) during the June 9 election of local government representatives and mayors, they can also vote for the candidates based on their place of residence (previously known as their temporary residence) if they initiate this. However, the voter can use this option only if he established his place of residence at least 30 days before the election, i.e. until February 11, and does not cancel it until the day of the election.
How long and how can you transfer?
The transfer request can be submitted by 4 p.m. on May 31 in the following ways:
- Online, at válstas.hu
- Or you can apply in person, from the clerk of any settlement
Is it possible to request a mobile urn when re-registering?
The voter can request a mobile ballot box even in case of re-registration, if he is unable to appear at the polling station due to his health condition, and he requests the mobile ballot box to his registered place of residence or another address belonging to the same voting district.
Re-registration for voters of nationalities
The possibility of re-registration is also open to voters of nationalities, with the additional stipulation that if the voter re-registers for a settlement where the given nationality does not have elections at the settlement or territorial level, then the possibility is lost that the nationality self-government at the settlement or territorial level vote for your candidates.
What should I do if I haven’t received a notification?
The notices for the municipal and EP elections on June 9, 2024 were mailed out until April 19, 2024.
If someone did not receive a notification, this must be reported to the local election office and a new notification will be issued.
However, it is good to know that the notification itself is not a condition for voting, since if we are on the list of names, we are entitled to vote.
What should we definitely take with us?
First of all, let’s check whether all our documents are valid. The following combinations of our personal documents are accepted for selection.
- Residential address card and identity card
- Residential address card and passport
- You can also bring your address card and driver’s license to vote
- The old, paper-based identity cards are also good, they are valid even without a residential address card
