They are the committees of the parish population in which important questions are bundled, discussed and decided: the parish councils. New members are elected every five years – and this year as well. The official election date is next Sunday.
But the elections are not held everywhere on Sunday. This applies in particular to those parishes that have opted for the so-called primary election model. The voters write the names of those people on a ballot paper who they consider particularly suitable for shaping the parish in the next five years. This is what happened in Freistadt: the election was held here from February 5th to 19th. An election commission then evaluated the ballot papers and asked the elected parish councilors in acceptance talks whether they would accept the election to the parish council. The election result will be published on Sunday.
The parish of Allerheiligen in Mühlkreis also had good experiences with the primary election model. “In this way, we were able to noticeably increase voter turnout,” says parish council chairman Markus Prader. Although not all those elected are willing to accept their mandate, they would at least agree to help with other activities in the parish. Prader: “That is also an added value.”
The parish of Perg, on the other hand, relies on the classic candidate model. Here, voters can select a maximum of ten out of 15 candidates. Voting takes place on Saturday (6:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.) and Sunday (7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) in the church and in the foyer of the rectory – or by postal vote in the parish office. “When compiling the list of candidates, it was important to us to reflect society in all its diversity,” says Pastor Konrad Hörmanseder. He is particularly pleased that six out of 15 candidates are under 30 years old: “We have confirmed candidates from the age of 14 who are entitled to vote. This has developed a momentum of its own that has had an impact on the list of candidates.”
Source: Nachrichten
