In the 2014 parliamentary elections, for the first time all Hungarian citizens residing outside the borders of Hungary will have the right to vote. Previously, only those Hungarian citizens living abroad could participate in elections who had a registered permanent address or place of residence in Hungary and were therefore included in the Hungarian central registry.
According to the new electoral law, Hungarians living in the United States are eligible to vote in the manner below, depending on their status:
a) By mail after prior registration. This is the case for Hungarians living in the USwho do not have a permanent address in Hungary. They can vote for party lists, but not for individual candidates.
b) Hungarians living in the US with a permanent address in Hungary can vote in person at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and at the Consulates General in New York City and Los Angeles.
The next parliamentary elections will take place in the spring of 2014 (probably sometime in April). Eligible voters may also vote in the European Parliamentary elections (the next one will be held in May, 2014) and in all national referenda.
Detailed description of eligibility and voting procedures is providedbelow:
I. What are the different statuses with regards to voting?
There are Hungarians living in the United States who do not have an address in Hungary and others who do. Different electoral rules are applicable for those Hungarian citizens who do not have a registered permanent address in Hungary and those who do have such address.Owning residential property in Hungary,does not,in itself, mean having a registered permanent address in Hungary.
Those Hungarians who typically settled abroad in the past 10-15 years, but for some reason did not deregister themselves from their Hungarian address (the most obvious sign of this is if they did not hand over their Hungarian IDs and address cards either in Hungary or at a Hungarian foreign mission) are not regarded as Hungarians living abroad, despite the fact that they actually live abroad (if they did not deregister, the Hungarian authorities consider them as living in Hungary). Therefore, not all Hungarian citizens residing abroad can vote by mail.
II. What do Hungarian citizens living abroad need to do in order to vote?
1. Those who have a registered permanent address in Hungary:
They will receive all voter notifications and information at their Hungarian address. These voters are considered Hungarian citizens living in Hungary even if they are in reality living abroad. These citizens can vote only in person, either at the designated polling location determined by their Hungarian address, or at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Consulates General in New York City and Los Angeles.
In order to vote at one of the foreign missions above, eligible voters must previously inform the local Hungarian public notary with jurisdiction over his/her Hungarian address and have himself/herself registered on the voter registry of the foreign mission of their choice. (This can be done in person, by mail or electronically at www.valasztas.hu) These voters will be able to vote for both the individual candidate of their Hungarian voting district and the party list. The request to be put on the voter registry of foreign missions must be made after the date of the vote has been set and must reach Hungarian election authorities no later than eight days before the date of the vote. If this is not done, Hungarian citizens with a Hungarian address,even if they show up in person, will not be able to vote at a foreign mission! (We would like to draw attention to the fact that it typically takes 8-10 days for a letter to reach Hungary from the US.)
It is also possible for someone to deregister from a Hungarian address and become eligible to vote by mail. In this case, the voter will not be able to vote for individual candidates, but only for party lists as mentioned above. Deregistering from a Hungarian address can be done in person at the Hungarian Embassy, or at the Consulates General. In this case, the Hungarian domestic ID (személyi igazolvány) and address card (lakcímkártya) must be handed over.
2. Those who do not have a registered address in Hungary, but are included in the Hungarian registry of personal data and addresses (in Hungarian: hazai személyi adat- és lakcímnyilvántartás) as Hungarian citizens living abroad:
There are Hungarians living abroad who, although do not have a registered Hungarian address, are included in the Hungarian registry of personal data and addresses. For example, naturalized citizens are automatically included. Also, included are those who have previously requested inclusion as a Hungarian citizen living abroad. However, a large proportion of such Hungarians living in the US is probably not included in this registry, since those who have lived in the US for a longer period of time might not have been aware of the existence of the registry or of the possibility of requesting inclusion in the registry.
Those who do not have a registered permanent address in Hungary,but are registeredin the national personal data and addresses registry as „Hungarian citizens living abroad” can cast their ballot by mail, if they pre-register for this purpose. In such cases, the National Election Office (in Hungarian: Nemzeti Választási Iroda, NVI) has already mailed - and those concerned should have already received - information explaining election procedures and the Form required to register to vote (in Hungarian, „Névjegyzékbe vételi kérelem”). To be able to vote, these citizens (i.e. officially registered as living abroad) can enroll in the central electoral register by filling out this Form and sending it back to the NVI (postal address: Nemzeti Választási Iroda, Budapest, 1854, Hungary).
3. Those who do not have a permanent registered address in Hungary and are not registered in the national personal data and addresses registry:
They can vote by mail as well. However, they also need to enroll in the Hungarian central electoral register (pre-register). NVI could not mail them the requisite Form (in Hungarian, „Névjegyzékbe vételi kérelem”) for lack of contact information, but you can find the Form attached to this Note or download it from the NVI websitewww.nvi.hu. Filling out a photocopied version of the Form is also acceptable. The Form also can be filled out and returned electronically on www.nvi.hu .
You can only register successfully if your personal data corresponds exactly to that in your Hungarian documents (i.e. passport, citizenship certificate, certificate of naturalization, or address card). Any discrepancy, even a letter will result in an unsuccessful attempt to register.
NVI will notify you whether your attempt was successful by contactingyou at the email address, fax number, or postal address you submitted on your registration Form.
III. What is the registration deadline?
NVI must receive the Form with the data necessary for enrollment in the Hungarian central electoral register at least15 days before the date of the election. In case you miss this deadline, you will be able to participate in subsequent elections but will not be able to vote in the 2014 parliamentary election.
IV.To participate in the election, Hungarian citizens living abroad can certify their citizenship by presenting one of the following documents:
- a valid passport, or a passport that expired less than a year ago. If the passport expired more than a year ago, it cannotbe used as proof of citizenship;
- a valid certification of citizenship (certificates issued before March 1, 2013 are valid for one year, those issued after March 1,2013 are valid for three years);
- certificate of naturalization (valid indefinitely),
- if the passport expired more than a year ago and the certificate of citizenship has also expired, proof of citizenship can be ascertained:
i) if you have an address card issued by the Hungarian authorities (lakcímkártya). This is a document of credit card size, with the personal ID number on one side and „address abroad” marked on the other, without the exact addressif issued for those living abroad. (Please note that if a Hungarian address appears on your address card for any reason you are not registered as a Hungarian living abroad!).
ii) if you are registered inthe Hungarian national personal data and addresses register. If you are not certain whether you are included in this registry, or what your exact status is in it, please contact one of the Hungarian foreign missions (consular section of the Embassy in Washington, D.C. or one of the Consulates General) who will help determine your status.
V. What is the age requirement to vote?
Those who will have turned 18 years old on the day of the electionor those who have reached adult age by marriage before turning 18. Enrolment in the national electoral register is possible from age 17, however.
VI. How can Hungarian foreign missions in the U.S. help Hungarian Americans?
- By providing information on the election in person, by phone or via email:
Embassy in Washington, D.C.: Phone: 202 362-6730, e-mail: informacio.was@mfa.gov.hu
Consulate General in New York: Phone:212 752-0661, e-mail: titkarsag.nyf@mfa.gov.hu
Consulate General in Los Angeles: Phone: 310 473-9344, e-mail: mission.los@mfa.gov.hu
- In case of doubt, assistance in clarifying the actual citizenship and eligibility status (e.g., whether and how citizenship can be ascertained, eligibility to vote, ability to vote by mail or in person only);
- If necessary, assistance with filling out and returning registration forms;
- Computers for electronic registration are available in the venues above.
Embassy of Hungary
Washington, DC