If everyone who lives in Vienna had a say in the upcoming city election - not just Austrian citizens - the results might look quite different. That’s the message behind the latest Pass Egal (“passport doesn’t matter”) election, a symbolic vote organised by human rights group SOS Mitmensch.
The campaign aims to raise awareness that more than one-third of Vienna’s residents cannot vote in municipal elections because they do not hold Austrian citizenship. Many of these people have lived in the city for years, contribute to society, pay taxes, and still have no say in who runs their local government.
So, what if they could vote? According to the results of the 2025 Pass Egal poll, the answer is clear: the Social Democrats (SPÖ) would win by a landslide.
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How the symbolic election worked
The Pass Egal vote took place at more than 40 locations across the city, including schools, community centres, and even sausage stands. A record-breaking 9,797 people of voting age cast symbolic ballots. Of those, over 5,700 were pupils from more than 30 schools. And while the campaign was designed to highlight the exclusion of non-citizens, over half the voters - 5,634 in total - were Austrian citizens who participated in solidarity.
The vote isn’t representative of all foreign-born residents, SOS Mitmensch emphasised in a statement, but it reflects the political mood of those who are engaged, informed, and eager to be included in the democratic process.
Who won the ‘fake’ vote?
The SPÖ, currently leading Vienna’s city government, won 47.7 percent of the vote in the Pass Egal election. That’s nearly half of all ballots cast.
The Greens came in second with 19.3 percent, followed by the Communist Party (KPÖ), which made a strong showing at 14.3 percent. The Freedom Party (FPÖ) received 8.1 percent, while the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) came in at 5.2 percent. NEOS and Team HC Strache failed to reach the 5 percent threshold typically needed to enter the city council, receiving 4.7 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
If these results reflected the real municipal vote, it would mean a solid majority for progressive parties - with nearly two-thirds of votes going to the SPÖ, Greens, and KPÖ combined.
READ ALSO: What EU citizens in Vienna should know about voting in April's local elections
A reminder of who’s left out
For SOS Mitmensch, the symbolic election is more than just a publicity campaign - it’s a pointed critique of Austria’s restrictive voting laws.
“Politics should not divide, but work towards an inclusive democracy that includes all people living here long-term,” said spokesperson Alexander Pollak. “The lack of democratic participation opportunities for over a third of the Viennese population is definitely a problematic dead end.”
Under current rules, only Austrian citizens can vote in Vienna’s municipal elections. EU citizens can vote at the district level, but not for the city council or mayor. This leaves out many long-term residents, particularly from non-EU countries, as well as people born in Austria to foreign parents who have not yet been granted citizenship.
Vienna’s diverse population is part of what makes the city vibrant, innovative, and international. Yet a significant portion of its residents has no voice in how their city is governed.
Decisions about public transport, housing, education, and climate policy are made without input from people who are deeply affected by them.
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