Electoral districts

The country territory is divided into electoral districts. Each electoral district has a polling station where the eligible voters living in the territory of the electoral district may cast their votes.

Number, serial number and geographical arrangement of the electoral district and the address of the polling station are to be determined by the head of the local electoral committee. Electoral districts must be formed in a manner that the number of voters is between 600 and 1200 per electoral district. However, each settlement shall have at least one electoral district even if the number of voters is less than 600. At settlements with two or more electoral districts an electoral district (polling station) shall be allocated where voters who asked verifications and who living in the settlement but having no residence (homeless people) may vote.

Each polling station has a returning board that consists of members elected by the local government and delegated by the candidates (political parties who has seats in the Parliament).  The returning board is responsible for maintaining the order in the polling station, checks the identity and eligibility of the voters, and if necessary, explains the voter how to vote. After closing voting the returning board counts the votes cast and determines the electoral results of the electoral district.

Voters may cast their votes abroad, at the embassies of the Republic of Hungary. Embassy election offices shall operate at the embassies, constituted by the senior and ordinary members.To each embassy election office, the parties may send an observer.

The embassy election office shall perform the functions of the ballot-counting committee related to the administration of the voting: it shall keep the polling station under control, conduct the voting, ensure the lawful administration of the voting and decide in the disputes arising during the voting. Embassy election offices, however, shall not act as ballot-counting committees. Following the closing of the voting, it shall immediately forward the closed ballot-box, along with the required election documents, to the National Election Office by the 24th hour of the 4th day following Polling Day in Hungary. The ballot-boxes received from the embassies shall be opened and the ballots shall be counted by the members of the National Election Committee, and the National Election Committee shall establish the result of embassy voting in an aggregate protocol. For the purposes of establishing the election result, the embassies thus constitute a single electoral district.

Click here to get information about the domestic electoral districts and foreign representations.