Since 1990 the information technology systems used in Hungary in general elections, accordingly, in the election of the Members of the European Parliament (EP), has covered the process of the entire election event from making the register to determining the final official result.

In developing election information technology systems, we always take current information technology developments into consideration as much as possible. 

At the moment, the use of the document network and the integrated arrangement of applications ensure the implementation of the aims set:
- continuous operation with zero fault,
- computer based determination of the preliminary unofficial results of the elections,
- supporting the official results of the elections,
- preserving the fairness of the elections, enforcing election principles,
- providing election bodies, the media and voters continuously with information.

Below you will find the key functions of the main information technology systems that support the elections. In addition to the systems to be described later, several minor systems are operated and ensure that information, management and other special requirements are satisfied; for example, the programme support system of public service televisions; the election history data base; the production of publications; the financial information system; and the internal management system. 

Election Preparatory System handling the process of setting up districts, making and maintaining the register of voters, and the register of major citizens disfranchised 

The system is able to receive and deliver district based data files in the county data base of the upgraded population register system. It handles the files of major citizens disfranchised coming from the central system.

The program system makes it possible to print registers, information notice slips in centralised, decentralised (local government printing option) mode of operation.

The system has been prepared to satisfy claims for supplying statistical data to parties, election bodies and those entitled to apply for other services.

The election preparatory system (EPS) and the system supporting the process of sending data to and receiving data from the printing house

In the course of producing electoral district identifying marks, minutes samples, key elements of the system;
- it delivers quantitative data to contractor(s) carrying out logistics tasks and supplying accessory materials, in a form agreed upon in advance;
- the system is able to forward data to the budget/logistics system, in a form agreed upon in advance;
- the EPS supplies records for establishing the ballot aggregating data base. 

The election day system

The system follows up the operation of electoral districts, and if, for example, an electoral district falls out because of an incident, e.g., fire, this will be indicated in the register. The accurately maintained register is also important when accounting for election data sheets, minutes. 

During the day, the election day system will several times gather/aggregate the number of voters from the electoral district who have turned out, and publish it on the Internet and in public service television. It will also provide information on the Internet about extraordinary events that might occur (e.g., one of the voters takes ill or disturbance takes place at any of the electoral districts).
The preliminary ballot aggregating system, which begins to work in the evening, when electoral districts are closed, basically follows the structure applied in the parliamentary elections. This means that work stations (clients) feeding data are operated at several hundreds of points of the country, and the results are aggregated and computed in the central application. Secure network relation between them will create data transmission.

After closing the ballot-boxes, the process of counting the ballots will begin. In order to aggregate results quickly, pursuant to the provisions set forth in the Decree of the Minster of the Interior on the implementation of Act C of 1997, keepers of the minutes working at electoral districts will issue data sheets based on the result of the first counting, on which the ballots contended by the ballot-counting committee can be still indicated. Completed data sheets will be forwarded to mayor’s offices, where local election offices will check if they have been properly filled in. After that data sheets will be immediately processed locally at the settlements connected into the network, or will be sent by fax, telephone or by car to the nearest point of processing (a document office, or a mayor’s office operating a local data transmission system). Data will be forwarded through the network to the central data base where the central system will in approx. every 5 minutes aggregate ballots and compute the results.

The central system will immediately publish the computed results through the Internet information system, the WEB server farm, and will simultaneously hand them over to the election program supporting system operated at the digital studios of public service televisions. The election of the Members of the European Parliament takes place basically at the same time in each of the Member States. Until the last of the elections due to time difference has been finished, the results may not be published in any of the countries having closed the election earlier. This will be 10:00 p.m. local time in Hungary, therefore the information system will first publish preliminary results at that time. 

The Internet Information System of the election of the Members of the European Parliament

The Internet information system provides the general public, the election machinery, the political parties and the media with information in the course of preparing and conducting the election.

When displaying information, speed and intelligibility are a priority, however, the aesthetic and formal accessories of presentation cannot be ignored either. In the system, in addition to simple data (result minutes), pre-programmed analyses and comparative analyses comparing data with those of earlier elections can be also queried.

We provide Internet/intranet information on both the process of preparing the elections and ascertaining the results, in the usual form applied in parliamentary elections.

In accordance with our traditions, on the day of the event of voting, we continuously provide the public service televisions and the TELETEXT services operated by them with current information.

We produce publications on election events and a CD based on all the electoral district minutes files.

The service is available in Hungarian, and, with abridged content, in English, German and French, at the Internet addresses www. valasztas.hu, www. unioscsatlakozas.hu or www.election.hu;.

The information content of the Internet information system covers the content of the documents generated while preparing and conducting the European Parliamentary elections, and the results of the election.

As novelties two elements have been added to our service: the menu structure of the National Election Office made with a permanent design and the “audible version” of the election web site.

With this later version, our intention is both to help the blind and people with impaired eyesight to get special information, and to contribute with our own tools to improving the equality of chances of this social layer.

To this end, we offer the inquirers a part of the mass of information generated during the election process, and later, the result of the election in a menu controlled structure with audible navigation.

The services of the Internet information system of the election of the Members of the European Parliament

Supply of dynamic data is an outstanding service of our webpages, which provides continuous information on election day on the development of the turnout, and publish informative data in the evening of the election event on the current status of ballot counting, and later on the preliminary result.

The menu structure of the election of the MEP’s

Country overview
Provides a brief overview on Hungary (in Hungarian, English, German, French)
The description of the election system (in Hungarian, German, French)
The address of electoral districts
Hungary’s administrative map

Law
This section contains the rules of law which give guidance to citizens and the election machinery regarding the elections.

It contains:

The Constitution (in Hungarian, English, German, French)
Acts (in Hungarian, English, German, French)
Resolutions of the Parliament (in Hungarian, English, German, French)
Decrees of the Minister of the Interior (in Hungarian, English, German, French)
Measures taken by the head of the NEO (in Hungarian)

NEC
The name, photo of the members of the NEC, the party affiliation of delegated members (in Hungarian, English, German, French)
Resolutions, standpoints, announcements of the NEC (in Hungarian)

Calendar (in Hungarian, English, German, French);

The task of the election calendar is to graphically display the events that belong to each election process, making their order visible.

Electoral district information: county, telephone number, number of voters, address of electoral districts (in Hungarian and English)

Guide to election information technology (in Hungarian, English, German, French);
Popular guide to election IT and EMS (Election Management System).

Candidates, lists (in Hungarian, English, German, French)

Reports during the day (in Hungarian, English, German, French);

Results (in Hungarian, English, German, French);

Analyses (in Hungarian, English, German, French);

Extraordinary events (in Hungarian)

Previous elections
History of the elections (in Hungarian)
NATO referendum, 1997 (in Hungarian and English)
Parliamentary elections, 1998 (in Hungarian and English)
Local elections, 1998 (in Hungarian)
By-elections between 1999 and 2002 (in Hungarian)
Parliamentary elections, 2002 (in Hungarian and English)
Local elections, 2002 (in Hungarian and English)
Minority municipality elections, 2003 (in Hungarian)
EU referendum, 2003 (in the official languages of the EU)
By-elections between 2003 and 2004 (in Hungarian)

First-time voters (in Hungarian)

Election Information Services (in Hungarian)

Central EIS (in Hungarian and English)

Links
to EU information pages

Correspondence (in Hungarian and English)

Audible version (transfer to the audible version)

News, current events (in Hungarian)

Information
In a popular form this section contains election related general-purpose informative documents/information, and targeted information for handicapped persons.

It contains:

Guide to the election of European Union citizens residing in Hungary
Information notice for the population (in Hungarian, English, German, French)
Our services
Address, accessibility of our embassies;
Guide to election at foreign representations (in Hungarian, English, German, French);
Guide for handicapped persons; (in Hungarian, English, German, French);
Informative posters on how to vote (in Hungarian, English, German, French);
Promotional films and recorded materials (audio)
Press conferences (films, pictures, recorded materials (audio) - in Hungarian);
Election Guidelines, thematic summaries (in Hungarian, English, German, French);
FRQ (Frequently Recurring Questions) (in Hungarian and English, German, French);
Definitions (in Hungarian, English, German, French);
Election Glossary;

Version for the blind and people with impaired eyesight
(in Hungarian)

Law
This section contains the rules of law that give guidance to citizens and the election machinery regarding the elections.

It contains:

The Constitution
Acts
Resolutions of the Parliament
Decrees of the Minister of the Interior 
Measures taken by the head of the NEO

NEC
The name of the members of the NEC, the party affiliation of delegated members
Resolutions, standpoints, announcements of the NEC (in Hungarian)

Information
In a popular form this section contains election related general-purpose informative documents/information, and targeted information for handicapped persons.

It contains:

Guide for handicapped persons;
Information notice for the population;
Sound recordings of press conferences;
Thematic summaries of Election Guidelines;
FRQ (Frequently Recurring Questions);
Definitions

Candidates, Lists (abridged version)

Reports during the day

Results (abridged version)

Analyses (abridged version)

Central EIS

Final ballot aggregating system

The final aggregation of ballots lasts from closing preliminary ballot aggregation to generating the legally binding result. Its primary role is to support election offices’ activity to ascertain results.

In this phase, only electoral district minutes may be processed and the records of events of legal remedy concerning the minutes processed.

After closing remedial procedures, a CD containing the data of the legally binding election result is produced from the legally binding results.
The NEC report is made and the records are loaded into the Election History Database.

The system indicating the probability of electoral delicts

Making use of the methods of statistical analysis applied in the parliamentary elections, local and minority elections in 2002, and the referendum held on 12 April 2003, we adapt them to the election of the representatives of the European Parliament.

The programs ensure that the particulars of citizens voting with a certificate and the data of issuing such certificates are recorded. Through checking and comparing the data recorded it will be possible to reveal frauds possibly committed.

By examining the ballot aggregating data base in several respects, the system gives help to search for cases arousing suspicion of delicts with regard to both the preliminary and the final results. After analysing the records received, the competent election bodies may take the necessary measures.

Election Management System

The Election Management System (EMS) serves to carry out, organise election related management tasks, to conduct communication between election bodies, making use of state-of-the-art information technology equipment and the possibilities provided by the closed computer network established between document offices. As a result of the above, only computers and users having been given title to do so can register with and use the system.

The primary aim of the system is to operate an IT communication channel between national, regional, and local election bodies. This channel offers electric mail and a so-called forum to those having registered, the latter one making it possible for users to voice their opinion and ask for help in a structure divided, similarly to message boards, into subject groups.

Furthermore, the system is operated as a data base, which contains the data/particulars of those registered in a territory based system, indicating the person’s name, address, telephone number, fax number or email address for each record. Further records from archived materials of elections arranged since the system was put into operation, and various other election related data, e.g., abstracts of election minutes, are also available.

The Law and Document Store includes rules of law important for users, other electronic materials concerning the handling of the system or election processes.

The election calendar provides everybody with information on important deadlines and procedural terms, and other key events, dates, venues related to the elections.

Under Help Desk you can find the persons responsible for other systems dealing with various elections, the network, and projects, who help system users to solve the problems they might have.

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