ABSTRACT
Local elections in Austria are determined by its federal structure and the large number of small municipalities. Local government has a long tradition and is dominated by the two major parties: Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP) and Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ). Party strongholds in the Länder have established a diverse set of electoral rules with unique characteristics and three common features: open-list proportional representation systems with preferential voting, citizens are eligible to vote from the age of 16, and all council seats are allocated via the d’Hondt method. Six Länder elect mayors directly. Electoral cycles of five or six years intersect regularly, but not a single year goes by without elections. Voter participation is generally strong in Austria, and turnout at the local tier is on a par with that at the regional and national levels. Over 70% of the municipalities are governed by an absolute majority of one list, and half of them are recurring majorities.
