Elections to the European Parliament 2024 in Vienna

What you need to know

The elections to the European Parliament 2024 will be held in Austria on Sunday, 9 June 2024.

We have collected the most important general information about the elections for you here.

Declarations of support

Political parties, whose election proposals have not been signed by at least one member of the European Parliament or three members of the Austrian National Council ("Nationalrat"), can collect declarations of support ("Unterstützungserklärungen") for their candidacy until 26 April 2024 at 5pm.

Austrian citizens and non-Austrian EU citizens who have their primary residence in Vienna and are entitled to vote can sign a declaration of support at a Municipal District Office (German) and at the central office of Municipal Department 62 – Elections and Specific Legal Affairs in 1080 Vienna, Lerchenfelder Straße 4.

You can sign declarations of support as of now. Entries in the electoral roll can be confirmed after the qualifying date (26 March 2024).

Opening hours for signing declarations of support:

• Tuesday, 26 March 2024 to Thursday, 28 March 2024 from 8am to 6pm
• Friday (Good Friday), 29 March 2024 from 8am to 12 noon
• Tuesday, 2 April 2024 to Friday, 5 April 2024 from 8am to 6pm
• Monday, 8 April 2024 to Friday, 24 April 2024 from 8am to 6pm
  • Except:
  • Thursday, 18 April 2024 from 8am to 7pm
  • Monday, 22 April 2024 from 8am to 7pm
• Thursday, 25 April 2024 from 8am to 7pm
• Friday, 26 April 2024 from 8am to 5pm

More information about the candidacy (Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, BMI) - (German)

Who is entitled to vote in Vienna?

Austrian citizens who had their primary residence in Vienna on the qualifying date (26 March 2024) and who were born before or on 9 June 2008 (i.e. who have reached the age of 16 on or before Election Day) are entitled to vote in the elections to the European Parliament in Vienna.

Election information for Austrian citizens living abroad

Non-Austrian EU citizens who had their primary residence in Vienna on the qualifying date (26 March 2024) and who were born before or on 9 June 2008 (i.e. who have reached the age of 16 on or before Election Day) are also entitled to vote in the elections to the European Parliament in Vienna. However, they need to decide beforehand whether they want to vote for the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for their country of origin or their country of domicile. If they want to vote for Austrian MEPs, they had to apply for registration in the European electoral roll ("Wiener Europa-Wählerevidenz") to the Vienna electoral service by 26 March 2024 (qualifying date for the elections to the European Parliament).

European electoral roll for non-Austrian EU citizens

Viewing and updating the electoral register

Household notification letters regarding any necessary updates of the electoral register ("Wählerverzeichnis") will be distributed from early April. Please note that these letters will no longer show the number of persons entitled to vote per household.

You can view and update the electoral register from 16 April to 25 April 2024.

You can view the electoral register in person at the local electoral offices ("Wahlreferat") of the Municipal District Offices.

Persons with an ID Austria account can view the electoral register online. The link will be shown on the household notification letter and on this website in good time.

During the above-mentioned period, all Austrian citizens and non-Austrian EU citizens can register to vote or can apply to have their details updated or removed from the electoral register.

Where can I cast my vote?

The official election information ("Amtliche Wahlinformation") is sent to every voter about 2 weeks before Election Day. It is a short letter specifying the exact address of your polling station ("Wahllokal") and other important information for voters.

Please note that there will be a number of new and wheelchair accessible polling stations on occasion of the elections to the European Parliament 2024. Find out more about your allocated polling station in good time. You will find the address in the official election information and from early May on the internet at www.wien.gv.at/wahlen (German).

Good to know: If you bring the official election information ("Amtliche Wahlinformation") to the polling station on Election Day, it will be easier for the staff in the polling station to find your name and address in the electoral register and you will be able to cast your vote promptly.

What happens if I am on holiday?

If you are not sure whether you can come to your allocated polling station on Election Day, you can apply for a voting card ("Wahlkarte"). With this voting card, you can cast your vote at any polling station in Austria or in Austria or from abroad by postal vote.

If you are in hospital or in a nursing home

Patients of a hospital or nursing home, who cannot come to their allocated polling station in person because of illness or old age, can apply for a voting card. With the voting card, they can cast their vote by postal vote or they can apply for a mobile election commission ("Wahlkommission") to visit them on Election Day. The staff of the hospital or nursing home can assist patients in applying for voting cards.

There will be separate electoral wards for the nursing homes "Pflege Baumgarten", "Pflege Donaustadt", and "Haus der Barmherzigkeit". You need a voting card if you do not have your primary residence at any of these 3 nursing homes but want to cast your vote in one of the 3 electoral wards.

If your mobility is reduced or you are bedridden

If you cannot come to your allocated polling station in person because your mobility is reduced or you are bedridden (e.g. because of illness or old age), you can apply for a voting card at the competent local electoral office ("Wahlreferat") of your Municipal District Office. With the voting card, you can cast your vote by postal vote or you can apply for a mobile election commission ("Wahlkommission") to visit you on Election Day.

Postal vote

If you cannot come to your allocated polling station on Election Day (because you are not in Vienna, for health reasons or because you are abroad), you can apply for a voting card ("Wahlkarte") and cast your vote by postal vote.

If you have a voting card, you can cast your vote at any time after receiving your voting card, but must do so before the last polling station in Vienna closes on 9 June 2024 at 5pm. The voting card must be returned in person, by post, or by messenger to the competent district electoral commission ("Bezirkswahlbehörde"). On Election Day, you can also return your voting card to any of the polling stations in Austria during their opening hours or, by 5pm, to the district electoral commission.

If you apply for your voting card in person from mid-May 2024 at the local electoral office ("Wahlreferat") of your competent Municipal District Office ("Magistratisches Bezirksamt"), you can cast your vote there promptly by postal vote, if you like. There are screened areas at the Municipal District Office where you can cast your vote.

How can I apply for a voting card?

You can submit your voting card application as of now until Wednesday, 5 June 2024 in writing (by email, fax or with an informal letter) or until Friday, 7 June 2024, 12 noon, in person at the local electoral office ("Wahlreferat") of your competent Municipal District Office ("Magistratisches Bezirksamt"). Please note that you cannot apply by phone!

Voting cards will be issued from mid-May 2024 when the nominations and ballot papers are available as you will receive your voting card together with the ballot paper.

You need to give the following personal details to apply for a voting card:

• Reason why you need a voting card
• Surname
• Name
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Address of primary residence
• Official photo identification (i.e. a copy of your official photo identification or the number of your Austrian passport or personal identity card) or a signature of your application via your ID Austria account.

The voting card will be sent to your home address by post. If you want to receive the voting card at a different address, please provide an alternative postal address in your application.

Pursuant to legal regulations, voting cards are sent by registered mail ("Einschreiben"). The voting card can only be sent by unregistered mail if the application has been validated via your ID Austria account. In this case, you can choose if you want to receive the voting card by registered or unregistered mail. If you choose to receive the voting card by unregistered mail, it will be sent to you at your own risk. Please note that we cannot issue duplicates of voting cards that were lost in the mail.

On Election Day

Please remember to bring a valid photo identification (passport, personal identity card, driving licence, student identity card etc.) when coming to the polling station on Election Day. Please note that electronic IDs (e.g. digital driving licence) cannot be checked at the polling station and can therefore not be accepted as a valid photo identification.

If you have applied for a voting card but decide to cast your vote in a polling station you need to bring the voting card to the polling station even if it is your allocated polling station. Otherwise, you will not be able to cast your vote at the polling station.

Please note that the official election information ("Amtliche Wahlinformation") is not an identity document! However, if you bring the official election information to the polling station on Election Day, it will be easier for the staff in the polling station to find your name and address in the electoral register and you will be able to cast your vote promptly.