Many residents are preparing to head to the polls with the Vienna municipal and district council elections coming up on Sunday, April 27th.
But more than 600,000 people living in the city will not have that chance.
Here's what you need to know about who can vote and where to cast your ballot - or how to participate symbolically if you're excluded.
READ ALSO: What EU citizens in Vienna should know about voting in April's local elections
If you're eligible to vote: where and how
Austrian citizens over the age of 16 with a main residence in Vienna are eligible to vote in both the municipal and district council elections. EU citizens living in Vienna can vote for the district council only.
You’ll receive an official election notice by post about two weeks before election day. This letter will tell you where your local polling station is.
If you’re unsure or haven’t received the notice, you can also search online using the official polling station finder. All you have to do is enter your residential address to find your polling place.
Polling stations will be open on April 27th from 7 am to 5 pm. Bring a valid photo ID, such as a passport, national ID card, driving license, or student ID. Digital IDs like the eID or digital driving license cannot be used.
If you’ve applied for a polling card, you must bring it with you - even if you’re voting at your assigned polling station. Without it, you won’t be allowed to vote.
READ ALSO: Who can vote in Vienna's 2025 elections and what's at stake?
If you can’t vote in the actual election: the Pass Egal Wahl
According to Statistics Austria, more than 611,000 Viennese residents of voting age - over one-third of the city’s adult population - won’t be able to vote in the municipal election because they are not Austrian citizens. Most are long-term residents, and many were born and raised in Austria.
To highlight this gap in democratic participation, the human rights group SOS Mitmensch is running the Pass Egal Wahl, a symbolic vote open to everyone living in Vienna, regardless of nationality. The goal is to offer excluded residents a way to express their political preferences and raise awareness about Austria’s restrictive citizenship rules.
Voting in the Pass Egal Wahl is open from March 27th to April 23rd. Dozens of polling stations will be set up across the city with the help of community organisations and partner venues. You can find the current and upcoming voting locations at www.passegalwahl.at.
Postal voting is also possible, with instructions available on the same website.
The symbolic election will wrap up with a public democracy festival on April 23rd at Yppenplatz from 3 pm to 8 pm, where votes will be counted and results announced.
READ ALSO: Why Vienna's city election will take place months earlier than planned
A growing democracy gap in Vienna
The growing number of residents without voting rights has raised concerns among experts and campaigners.
According to SOS Mitmensch spokesperson Alexander Pollak, Vienna is heading toward a “half democracy.” He points out that in some districts, such as Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Brigittenau, and Favoriten, over 40 percent of residents are excluded from voting due to their nationality.
Austria has one of the lowest naturalisation rates in the EU. Strict requirements for citizenship - including high income thresholds, language exams, and the need to renounce prior citizenship - make it difficult for long-term residents to become eligible to vote.
As the share of non-citizens in Vienna continues to rise, the debate around political inclusion and citizenship reform will likely grow louder.
Comments