Director Bigonski

She makes sure that everything runs smoothly during the election

Everything is exactly as it should be: Director Magdalena Bigonski explains to "Krone" editor Robert Loy that it is even specified how many millimetres the writing on the ballot paper must be.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

She is where everything comes together on the day of the National Council elections: Magdalena Bigonski is head of the Directorate of Home Affairs and Local Government at the state level. This also makes her the head of the provincial electoral authority. She has to make sure that no mistakes are made during the election. A tough job - and not just on election day!

When you enter the office of the 35-year-old top civil servant on the fourth floor of the Linz Provincial Service Center, you immediately sense that there is a lot of work to be done here. Magdalena Bigonski is the director of the most powerful department in the province of Upper Austria. When there are no elections, she is the top coordinator in the state in the event of a crisis. She even has a digital radio set on her windowsill so that she can be quickly connected to the police, ambulance and fire department if the worst comes to the worst. The interview is about the election on Sunday, the preparations, the work that goes into it and problems that have recently arisen with voting cards.

Magdalena Bigonski is head of the Directorate of Internal Affairs and Municipalities at the state: she is responsible for elections as well as for the municipalities, fire departments, civilian service, building law and the granting of citizenship.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

"Krone": You are the head of the Upper Austrian provincial electoral authority. What does that mean? 
Magdalena Bigonski: Basically, I am the head of the provincial electoral authority. There are several electoral authorities: the provincial electoral authority, the district electoral authorities, the municipal electoral authorities and, at federal level, the federal electoral authority. I therefore head the provincial electoral authority, which consists of assessors, substitute assessors and trusted representatives. Our tasks are divided into three areas: before the election, on election day and after the election. Before the election, we are responsible for when parties submit their election proposals. This is not a problem for the major parties, but small parties have to submit declarations of support, which we then count. This is often an exciting task. Another aspect is the organization of the printed materials, such as posters and ballot papers. This is very complex for us because each regional constituency has its own ballot papers. We make sure that everything complies with the ministry's specifications.

In Upper Austria, there are eleven parties on the ballot paper: from the ÖVP to the list NONE (none of them).

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

How many people are involved in the election?
In Upper Austria there are 1655 polling stations at municipal level. Then, of course, there are the district electoral authorities and the provincial electoral authority. It is difficult to give an exact figure, but if you include all the people involved, including those who are responsible for the organization in the municipal offices, you get a considerable number. There are around 16,000.

We often hear that there are not enough volunteers to work as election workers.
It is often difficult to find enough helpers in the municipalities, especially for counting. It is up to the parties to nominate the scrutineers and it is of course hoped that they will turn up. A major challenge for the municipalities is the increase in the number of polling cards. This is time-consuming to organize and was certainly not the case to the same extent in the past.

It is always difficult to find enough helpers in municipalities, especially for counting.

You already know all the numbers before the polls close. When do you know the approximate outcome of the election?
No projections may be published before 5 pm. The first polling stations close in the early afternoon, the last at 4 pm. From around 7 p.m., we will have a good idea of which way things are going.

There have recently been problems with the polling cards. What happened there?
If there are problems, we ask the municipalities to get in touch with us. We don't make accusations, but work together with the municipalities to find a solution. Our aim is to act as a link between the municipality, the district electoral authority and the Federal Ministry. The biggest issue is absentee ballots that are not delivered, but that is beyond our control.

Bigonskis comes from Waldhausen im Strudengau. Before her appointment as director of the powerful state department for internal affairs and local government, she was a lawyer and deputy head of the district administration in Perg.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

Wouldn't it be a huge relief for everyone to cast their votes digitally? 
Digital voting is a recurring topic, but it would be a challenge to comply with data protection regulations. The right to vote is a valuable asset, and there are risks of influence and manipulation that need to be considered. I cannot say whether Austria is technically capable of doing this - that is a decision for the Ministry of the Interior.

What actually has to happen for an election to be repeated?
That is decided by the Constitutional Court. If someone challenges the election, the Constitutional Court examines whether an error has significantly influenced the election result. We as the provincial electoral authority cannot decide that.

About the person

Although Magdalena Bigonski has only been at the helm of the Directorate of Home Affairs and Local Government (IKD) since February, the National Council election on Sunday is already her second election. Her baptism of fire was the EU election, where she headed the electoral authority for the first time. The 35-year-old lawyer has been employed by the state of Upper Austria since 2014; before her appointment as IKD Director, she was a lawyer at the district administration of Perg, which she also deputized for from 2019. The lawyer comes from Waldhausen im Strudengau and now lives in Baumgartenberg.

How long before the election do you start work in the department?
At least two to three months in advance. We have weekly meetings in which we coordinate our work. This year, we've been busy with preparations since March, as we keep receiving inquiries.

A good one million Upper Austrians will be called upon to cast their vote on Sunday. The first projection is expected at 5 pm.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Recently there has been some excitement because hackers want to paralyze the servers of public authorities. Are you prepared for this? 
We regularly carry out stress tests and penetration tests to protect our systems. Our employees are sensitized and know how to deal with suspicious emails. Fortunately, we have not had any major incidents so far.

The documents may only be destroyed once the Constitutional Court has declared the election to be incontestable.

What happens to the ballot papers after the election?
The documents may only be destroyed once the Constitutional Court has declared the election to be incontestable. However, we always keep sample copies for the next election so that we know how we did it before.

Does voting by absentee ballot make the work of the electoral authority easier or more difficult?
To be honest, rather more difficult. It is of course practical for citizens, but for the electoral authorities it means a lot of extra work, especially in terms of organization and counting. A lot of steps have to be checked in detail.

Have you already cast your vote yourself?
Yes, I have applied for a polling card, as I am already in the office from the early morning on election day.