3. How to use the Internet-based information system of the referendum
Aims and Tasks of the WWW Service
Besides correctly carrying through the referendum, the Central Registration and Election Office of the Ministry of the Interior regards an especially important task to keep the public within and outside the Hungarian borders informed. They offer Internet-based services among other tools. WEB services quickly and accurately inform the public about the referendum and, later on, about its results. Also, it is through these channels, that existing data and/or data emerging out of the the process of balloting will be saved and then presented to the public in a systematized form, in ways that are easy to handle.
The following lists inform you about the contents of the Internet-services. Here you have the system of Menus you will find there:
Menu-System of the Internet-Services:
The main Menu consists of graphic pictures and texts. Each of the graphic pictures symbolizes a line of contact to some other sections of the system. Behind the picture there is an alternative text, too. The text serves those users who switched off the filling in of pictures in their own browser. This way they can choose the right menu-item, too.
Parts of the Main Menu:
Information
The section contains those general info-documents and pieces of information which help you to find your way
-- in the system of notions related to different events (referendum, election)
-- in the contents of the documents (ballots, knocking slips) related to the current event, in this case the referendum
-- in the structure of the computer-system
-- in how to identify attached servers, and
-- in the technical aspects of using Internet and its services.
Accordingly, the section has the following submenus:
-- Notions
-- Referendum
-- Attached servers
-- Technical information
Prompter
The contents and functions of this section are similar to the usual Windows-functions. You find all necessary information about how to use the system.
Law
This section contains legal norms that explain referendums and elections to the voters and to the members of the election apparatus. Submenus of this section are as follow:
-- Laws
-- Electoral Guidelines
-- Decisions of the Constitutional Court
-- Decisions of the National Election Committee
-- Code of Referendum
Referendum
This section presents dynamically changing data announced continuously by the election apparatus on the very day of voting. This will include participation at a regional and at a national level, detailed up-dates of the newest results, protocols, charts and maps.
Archives
This section contains data and documents of earlier referendums and elections, and also, the 'History of Elections' Database (AS/400). As the number of users is limited, first you have to register with WEBmaster, which gives authorized persons the information that is necessary to enter the database.
Frequently recurring questions (Hungarian abbreviation: Gy.I.K.)
This section contains answers to the questions of the voters that probably command lively public interest and can be answered free from politics.
Correspondence
This section makes possible for you to transmit questions (free of any political edge) to members of the election apparatus. On the other hand, this section promotes quick and easy communication within the whole apparatus.
Searching
This section makes possible for the user to search for any given body of texts in the static information-base of the election WEB-server.
The user supplies a given body of text, and then all pages appear one by one on which the given text is to be found.
Home page
Enables users to get back to the home-page of the election WEB-server from any other point of the system.
Calendar
This section contains deadlines and activities related to the referendum, and later to the elections. All data are systematized according to calendar-days.
How you can reach Internet-services
www.valasztas.hu
www.election.hu
Technical background of reaching Internet-services
To reach these services you need the following configuration:
TCP/IP network protocol; WEB-browser
This means tipically a minimum of:
486 DX/66 Mhz mother board; 8MB RAM; 800X600 SVGA Monitor; mouse; 800 Mb winchester; network card; LAN, WAN, and/or ability to reach public administration network.
There must be a WEB browser installed in the computer. Ideally, it should be minimally the 3rd version of Microsoft Internet Explorer (a software contained by Microsoft Windows 95) or minimally the 3rd version of Netscape Navigator.