We are pleased that you are interested in the primaries at NEOS. You can participate either as an interested citizen by asking questions to the candidates, as a pre-voter actively co-designing the list and allocating points, or as a candidate.
The creation of candidate lists for elections at NEOS is always carried out according to a multi-stage primary election process. In the three-stage process, these are Stage 1: Public primary, Stage 2: Vote by the executive board or state team, and Stage 3, the members' vote.
The NEOS Primary as an Interested Citizen
During the primary process, interested citizens have the opportunity to ask candidates questions during the online dialogue.
Requirement:
Successful registration at vorwahl.neos.eu
The NEOS Primary as a Pre-voter
Do you want to actively co-design our list? During the first stage of the primary, any interested citizen can co-design the NEOS list as a pre-voter. The prerequisites for active voting rights in NEOS primaries depend on the respective body to be elected. Registration at vorwahl.neos.eu is required in any case, as well as proof of identity and verification that the participant is eligible to vote (conducted by NEOS). You can find more information in the statutes.
Requirements:
Successful registration at vorwahl.neos.eu
Successful verification (if you click on your account, it says "eligible to vote" under "Verification status")
The NEOS Primary as a Candidate
At NEOS, any interested citizen can apply for a spot on a NEOS list for municipal council, state parliament, national council, or EU elections, regardless of whether they are a member of NEOS or not. Requirements for candidacy include eligibility to be elected to the respective body, timely application, and approval by the competent NEOS committees.
How do the NEOS primaries for the 2024 National Council election work?
The creation of the candidate lists at NEOS takes place through a transparent, three-stage primary election process. We believe that politics needs more people from the middle of society. That's why our primaries are open to all citizens.
Candidacy
Any person eligible for passive voting can apply for a list position with NEOS. All required documents must be submitted to NEOS via this website. The candidacy window is from 03/05/2024 12:00 PM to 03/20/2024 12:00 PM.
Personal Pre-election Profile
After submitting the documents, all candidates receive login information to set up their personal pre-election profiles. At vorwahl.neos.eu, they can present themselves to voters and answer questions from interested citizens in an online dialogue from 03/25/2024 12:00 PM to 04/03/2024 12:00 PM.
Stage 1 - Public Primary
From 04/04/2024 12:00 PM to 04/13/2024 12:00 PM, points can be awarded to candidates through our primary election platform in the pre-election process. Anyone who has reached the age of 16 and either holds Austrian citizenship or has their main residence in Austria is eligible to vote in the primary. Registration as a pre-voter is possible at any time at vorwahl.neos.eu. The number of votes obtained in the public online primary is divided by the number of participating voters, the result forms the "citizen proposal".
Stage 2 - Extended Executive Board
In the second stage of the primary election process, members of the Extended Executive Board award points to the candidates. The result of Stage 2 is the "Executive Board proposal".
Stage 3 - Party Congress
During the party congress on 04/20/2024 in Graz, all NEOS members award points to the candidates. The number of confidence points obtained in the membership assembly is divided by the number of valid votes cast, the result forms the "Members' proposal".
The Result of the Federal List
The weighted points from the three stages are added up and the candidates are ranked accordingly. This results in the NEOS federal list for the 2024 National Council election.
The Result of the State Lists
For state lists, in the second stage, the executive board and the respective state team (state executive board) award points. The weighted points from the three stages are added up and the candidates are ranked accordingly. This results in the respective NEOS state list for the 2024 National Council election.
Where can I find more information about the creation of the list for the 2024 National Council election?
At nationalratswahl.neos.eu, you will find all the important information about the primary election process for creating the NEOS list for the 2024 National Council election.
Do I have to be a NEOS member to vote in the public primary stage 1?
No. Membership in NEOS is not a requirement to allocate points in primary stage 1.
Who is eligible to vote in the public primary?
All individuals who have reached the age of 16 and either have their primary residence in Austria or hold Austrian citizenship. The public primary is conducted through this platform.
To be able to allocate points in the public primary, registration as a pre-voter and verification of the pre-voter's account are required.
I have already participated in a primary before. Do I need to register again?
We are very pleased that you are participating again as a pre-voter or as a candidate in a NEOS primary. Since we have been using a new primary election tool since October 2023, you will need to register again if you created your account before this date.
What do I need to do to be able to allocate points in primary stage 1?
You need to register on this platform and have your account verified. You can see if you are verified by clicking on your initials in the top right corner, selecting "Account," and checking your verification status:
"Not verified": You need to start the verification process and verify your profile using e-ID (Digital Office), ID upload, or in person at a NEOSphere.
"Waiting for document review": You have already submitted documents, and we are checking your eligibility to vote in the background.
"Identity confirmed (manual verification of voting eligibility in progress)": We are checking in the background whether you are eligible to vote (within a few hours after you have confirmed your identity).
"Address confirmed (manual verification of voting eligibility in progress)": We are checking in the background whether you are eligible to vote (within a few hours after you have confirmed your address).
You can support this process best by providing your data exactly as it appears in the voter registry. If you have any questions, feel free to contact vorwahl@neos.eu.
Once you are verified, select the election you want to participate in as a pre-voter from the "Primaries" menu item. If the voting window is open, you will see the "Vote Now" button in the top right corner. This button takes you directly to the election where you can allocate points.