Vienna is new: Postal voting cards now counted on election day!

Vienna is new: Postal voting cards now counted on election day!

Wien, Österreich - On April 25, 2025, Vienna introduced new regulations on postal voting that enable voters to participate in this year's election by letter. As Kleine Zeitung , the voices are counted for the first time this year on election day. Vienna took over the new federal regulations, which has led to a number of changes in the election process.

The new guidelines state that ballot papers that arrive until Friday at 5:00 p.m. will be counted in the respective sprinkles on Sunday. The preliminary election results will therefore be closer to the final result on the election evening. The district electoral authorities are responsible for counting the postal votes on Sunday. An important point is that no votes are counted before 5:00 p.m. on Sunday and that postal voting cards that arrive between Friday and Sunday are taken into account on Monday.

a decline in election cards

A striking aspect in this election period is the significant decline in the selected election cards compared to the 380,000 election cards that were requested in 2020. This development could be attributed to the recommendation to avoid polling stations during pandemic. Preliminary end results for the municipal council and the districts will be available on Sunday evening.

Euit cards from EU citizens will not be taken into account until Monday. If registered election cards are not picked up, they must be handed over to the election departments. People who could not pick up their election card in good time still have the opportunity to participate in the election.

influences of pandemic on the elections

Corona pandemic has influenced many aspects of life, including the political organization of elections. From Scientific publications it becomes clear that elections cannot simply be canceled during this time or without viewers. A look at international practices shows that special polling stations for voters are set up in countries such as Israel.

In the United States, pandemic led to an unprecedented use of postal voting and thus had an impact on the election decisions of the population. These developments are reminiscent of the "Rally’ Round the Flag "phenomenon, which can lead to voters: inside the support for incumbent: Interior during crisis events. Despite all the challenges, the implementation of elections in established democracies remains possible, even if it is more difficult by the increased risk of infection.

The political campaigns are also restricted by pandemic, which could affect the visibility of opposition parties. In many European countries, pandemic influenced confidence in governments, which has generally led to increased use of postal voting and digital solutions.