The Right to Vote

National Council elections have to take place at the latest every five years. The National Council is elected in accordance with the principles of equal, direct, personal, free and secret right to vote. All Austrian citizens who have turned 16 on the election day are entitled to vote. Voting is not compulsory.

In general, votes are cast on the election day in polling stations set up for this purpose. Voters who expect to be unable to attend a polling station, e.g. for reasons of absence or health, can also vote by post. A postal voter has to confirm by his/her signature on the voting package that the vote has been cast personally and secretly. Postal vote is possible from within or outside Austria. For the postal vote to be valid, it may not be cast after the closing time of the polling station closing last in Austria, and the voting package needs to arrive at the district election authority by 2 p.m. of the eighth day following the election day.

Elections take place based on the principles of proportional representation. In other words, seats are allocated to the individual groups seeking election based on the percentage of votes they win in the election. For the purposes of distributing seats, the Republic of Austria is divided into nine provincial constituencies – the federal provinces, which are in turn divided into regional constituencies. Seats are assigned in a three-stage process - in the regional constituencies, the provincial constituencies and in a final nationwide assignment process. Selection of candidates is based on the election lists submitted by the groups seeking election. However, voters can change the line-up for a party by means of preferential votes.

All citizens who have turned 18 on the election day have a passive right to vote, i.e. the right to be elected. Citizens lose their right to vote and passive right to vote only if they have been convicted of criminal offences. The Federal Constitution (Art. 26 B-VG) and the election regulations of the National Council set out the main statutory provisions for elections to the National Council.