Some things are new

EU elections: postal votes already counted on election day

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The EU elections on June 9 will bring some new features for voters. For the first time, it will be possible to hand in your polling card directly when you collect it - a kind of "pre-election day". Waiting for the election results, including postal votes, until Monday is almost completely over. This is because the postal votes (apart from a very small proportion) will all be counted on election Sunday. There are also new services for applying for polling cards.

The changes were already adopted in the 2023 electoral law reform. The EU election is now the first nationwide election in which they will be applied. Anyone who does not want to go to their polling station on election day can vote by post as usual or cast their vote at a "foreign" polling station. This is possible as usual by means of a polling card which must be applied for.

Votes can be cast as soon as the polling card is collected
What is new is that anyone who does not have their polling card sent to them, but collects it themselves from the municipality or magistrate, can vote on the spot this time and return the completed polling card - in other words, one or actually several "pre-election days". According to the Ministry of the Interior, this will be possible from the time the polling cards and official ballot papers are rolled out nationwide from around May 17.

Better localization of polling cards
Another innovation also affects polling cards: in future, it will be easier to track where the card is currently located. Voters can track the status of their polling card (e.g. "issued", "received by the municipal electoral authority") electronically when ordering by post. This is possible via ID-Austria as well as by appearing in person at the relevant municipality (ID required).

In future, it will no longer be possible to see how many people are entitled to vote in an apartment when the election is announced in the buildings. In return, the voter's own entry in the electoral register can be checked with ID-Austria. The required QR code, which leads to an access link, can be found on the announcement.

Improvements also for people with disabilities
There are improvements for people with disabilities: For example, barrier-free access to polling stations and voting booths must be provided. Voting templates for absentee ballots and more information in plain language must also be made available. A minimum font size for certain printed materials is also prescribed.

Most absentee ballots already counted on Sunday
The result on election Sunday will be very close to the final result. This is because, for the first time in a federal election, the majority of postal votes will already be counted on Sunday. According to the electoral authorities, it is difficult to estimate how many will follow on Monday. However, it can be assumed that the majority of postal votes will already be evaluated by the local electoral authorities on Sunday, resulting in a much more precise result.

What remains are those absentee ballots that are received by the district electoral authority between Friday afternoon (June 7, 2024) and Sunday (June 9, 2024, 5 p.m.) (including many absentee ballots from abroad), as well as absentee ballots that are posted in a letterbox by 9 a.m. on Saturday (June 8, 2024). Absentee ballots used for postal voting that are not posted but handed in directly at a polling station on Sunday will also be counted later.