Electoral Committee Member

In the by-election of local government representatives and mayors, as well as in the by-election of county assemblies, the Budapest General Assembly, and the Mayor of Budapest, the nominating organizations fielding a candidate/list are entitled to appoint members to the various election committees operating in the election, in accordance with the rules applicable to general elections. The following table summarizes which election committees organizations are entitled to delegate members to in a given by-election:

In a by-election for local government representatives, county assembly representatives, the Budapest General Assembly, or the Mayor of Budapest, a nominating organization fielding a candidate or list, as well as an independent candidate, can each appoint two members to the Polling Station Committee (SZSZB) and, in a settlement with a single polling station, to the Local Election Committee (HVB).

In a by-election for local government representatives and the mayor, nominating organizations fielding a candidate or a compensation list in the affected settlement, as well as independent candidates running in the settlement, can each appoint one member to the Local Election Committee (HVB).

Nominating organizations fielding a county list, a Budapest list, or a candidate for Mayor of Budapest, as well as the independent candidate for Mayor of Budapest, can each appoint one member to the Territorial Election Committee (TVB).

Nominating organizations cannot appoint members to the National Election Committee (NVB) in a by-election.

Nominating organizations fielding a joint candidate or list are jointly entitled to appoint a member to the election committee.

Conditions for Appointment (Delegation)

Only a person who is eligible to run as a candidate in the by-election for local government representative(s) and mayor can be an appointed member of the election committee.

An appointed member of the election committee does not need to have a place of residence in the given constituency!

Incompatibility

The following cannot be appointed members of the election committee:

• the President of the Republic
• the Speaker of the National Assembly
• a Member of Parliament
• a Deputy Mayor
• the Notary (chief administrative officer of a municipality)
• a member of another election committee, a member of the election office
• professional and contract soldiers, officer cadets, and non-commissioned officer cadets in service with the Hungarian Defence Forces, and volunteer reservist soldiers performing actual service
• a candidate

Notification of the Appointed Member

Appointed members to the HVB and TVB must be notified to the chairperson of the competent election committee no later than 4:00 PM on the 9th day before the election day.

Appointed members to the SZSZB must be notified to the head of the local election office also no later than 4:00 PM on the 9th day before the election day.

The notification must include:

• the name of the appointing nominating organization (and its representative) / independent candidate for Mayor of Budapest / independent candidate,
• the name and personal identification number of the appointed member, and
• the designation of the election committee (to which the appointment is made).

In addition to the above, it is advisable to provide the direct contact details of the appointed person (email and telephone number) so that the election office can contact them. The document for the appointment must be signed by the representative of the nominating organization.

There is no prescribed form for the notification; the appointing nominating organization creates it themselves, provided that the notification contains all the data pursuant to Section 30 (3) of the Ve. Therefore, there is no legal obstacle to the nominating organization submitting its notification in a consolidated manner (e.g., in tabular form).

The election office verifies the voting rights of the appointed member. If the appointment does not meet the legal requirements, the chairperson of the election committee submits the matter to the election committee. The election committee decides on the acceptance or rejection of the appointment by resolution within three days of the notification. In the case of an appointed member of the Polling Station Committee, the head of the local election office rejects the appointment if it does not meet the legal requirements.

The appointed member must make a declaration of incompatibility bearing their own handwritten signature no later than before taking the oath.

The contact details required for submitting the notification are available here:

• Availability data for regional electoral committees alongside regional/capital electoral committees,
• Contact details of local electoral offices.

The document for the notification of the appointed member and the declaration of incompatibility of the appointed member must be submitted in paper form and in original or authenticated with an electronic signature via email or e-paper to the competent election authority.

Documents for appointments to SZSZBs can also be submitted exclusively in person (by the nominating organization's representative or their authorized representative) to the National Assembly single-member constituency election office competent according to the location of the local election office.

Oath or Pledge

The appointed member must take an oath or make a pledge within five days of their notification, or in the case of an SZSZB member, no later than the second day before the election day. A member of the SZSZB/HVB takes the oath or makes a pledge before the mayor, a member of the TVB/FVB takes it before the chairperson of the county assembly/Mayor of Budapest, and a member of the NVB takes it before the Speaker of the National Assembly, according to the text of the law on the oath and pledge of certain public officials. Taking the oath or making a pledge is only possible in person. (see: Kvk.III.37.799/2020/3. számú végzés)

The most important legal effect of taking the oath or making a pledge is that the member of the election committee can only exercise their rights afterwards.

Termination of the Mandate of Election Committee Members, Filling Vacancies

The mandate of an appointed member of the TVB/FVB, HVB, and SZSZB terminates upon the legal validity of the by-election result.

In addition to the aforementioned, the mandate of a member of the election committee terminates:

• if the legal conditions for the mandate cease to exist,
• if the election committee has established a conflict of interest for its member,
• by resignation,
• if the appointing party withdraws the mandate of the appointed member,
• if the appointing independent candidate or the candidate or list nominated by the nominating organization that entitled the appointment is eliminated,
• upon the death of the member of the election committee.

In case of the termination of the mandate of an appointed member, the concerned nominating organization/independent candidate – with the exception of the elimination of the candidate/list on which the appointment was based – can appoint a new member.