Volunteer vote-counters push for Hungary election integrity

A grassroots civic initiative in Hungary has recruited more than 20,000 volunteer ballot counters to ensure a fair tally in the upcoming general election

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- A grassroots civic initiative in Hungary, concerned over the integrity of an upcoming general election, has recruited more than 20,000 ballot counters to observe the high-stakes contest in which nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban will seek a fourth consecutive term.

The effort to place at least two volunteer ballot counters in each of Hungary’s more than 10,000 polling places came from a belief among many supporters of Hungarian opposition parties that without observers from their side, vote tally irregularities could affect the outcome of the April 3 ballot.

“It is not right that in Hungary in a large number of electoral districts … there are no ballot counters representing the opposition,” said Judit Szanto, a volunteer with Szamoljuk Egyutt (Let's Count Together), one of several civic organizations recruiting and training ballot counters.

“This thing was devised to organize people to oversee the cleanliness of the election on the suspicion that if they don’t, there will be fraud,” said Szanto, who provides training for the volunteers.