They don’t trust the system: Hungarian voters carry ballots across the border

Distrust surrounding postal voting is growing among ethnic Hungarian voters living in Serbia, with several reports suggesting that many no longer trust activists or the local system to handle their ballots.

As Transtelex previously reported, a broader crisis of confidence has been emerging among Hungarian communities beyond Hungary’s borders. With elections approaching, Orbán’s Fidesz party and its local allies are working to secure parliamentary mandates from diaspora votes, while some opposition voters no longer believe the system operates transparently.

As a result, a number of voters have begun taking matters into their own hands, choosing not to pass their ballots to intermediaries but instead delivering them personally to Hungary.

Concerns over delivery and collection

According to Szabad Magyar Szó, in towns such as Topolya (Bačka Topola), Subotica and Zenta, groups of voters who do not intend to support Fidesz–KDNP have started coordinating among themselves. Rather than submitting their ballot packages locally, they take them to nearby Hungarian post offices to ensure they arrive safely.

At the centre of the concerns is the way ballot packages are handled in Serbia. Instead of being delivered directly by the postal service, they are distributed by activists of the Concordia Minoritatis Hungaricae (CMH).

In addition to delivery, these activists often collect completed ballots and may offer assistance with filling them in. This practice has raised questions, with several accounts suggesting the process is not always fully transparent.

In one reported case, activists allegedly handed over a ballot intended for someone else:
“We can give you an ‘empty’ one, someone else’s who didn’t collect it,” a reader told Szabad Magyar Szó.

In the same account, the following remark was also reported:
“You need to mark it here, after all, you received your citizenship from them.”

Choosing to post ballots from Hungary

As a consequence, some voters are bypassing the local system entirely. In Subotica, for instance, several people said they do not trust activists, the Serbian postal service, or even the Hungarian consulate.

“Over the years, we’ve learned not to trust anyone, especially when it comes to voting,” said Viktória Kreszánkó, who plans to post her ballot in Szeged, Hungary.

According to her, past experiences have raised doubts about whether ballots submitted locally always reach their intended destination.

Some voters also criticised the lack of information in campaign-style videos produced by politicians of the Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség (VMSZ). They say these materials failed to mention that ballot envelopes can be posted free of charge both in Serbia and in Hungary — an option many voters may not be aware of.

Similar concerns were raised by others. One voter from Topolya said activists “didn’t knock or ring the bell, they simply dropped the envelope in the letterbox,” which led to a lack of trust. Together with others, they decided to take their ballots across the border and post them from within Hungary.

In most cases, this is organised through personal networks: friends and acquaintances coordinate among themselves, and often one person transports ballots on behalf of several families.

Timing is also a factor. Ballots must arrive by election day, so many voters calculate travel time and choose to send them from Hungary to avoid delays.

At the same time, other issues are shaping the political atmosphere ahead of the vote. We recently reported on tensions surrounding alleged explosive devices found near a Serbia–Hungary gas pipeline, where claims of a possible “false flag” attack have added to the already heated pre-election debate.

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