Typo on Ballot Papers for Carinthia State Election leaves BFK scratching their heads. The Carinthia state election is fast approaching, and already a major typo has been found on the ballot papers. The Alliance for Carinthia (BFK), who are officially running as the “List Alliance for Carinthia, Alliance Future Austria, Together for Fresach, A Good Option, Free State of Carinthia, List Jörg,” have found that the word “Fresach” has been misspelled as “Friesach.” This error has caused concern for the group, as the head of the state electoral authority, Dieter Platzer, states that it is impossible to recall the ballot papers and have them reprinted.
Despite the error, Platzer says that the party in question is clear to the voters, according to the state’s legal assessment. An election challenge before the Constitutional Court is subject to specific requirements with special formal and procedural provisions and a required significance for the outcome of the election. As such, the electoral authority believes that the typo would not lead to a successful challenge to the election.
Although the mistake is a clear error, replacing the ballot papers could pose a risk to the secrecy of the vote for all those voters who have already voted by postal ballot or who have received the postal ballot card. Platzer added that “a replacement of the ballot papers could also pose a risk to the secrecy of the vote for all those voters who have already voted by postal ballot or who have received the postal ballot card.”
The BFK are not taking the mistake lightly, with Gerhard Altziebler of the List for Fresach, who ran as the top candidate of the BFK, having since left the group. However, as far as the official procedures are concerned, this decision came too late: Altziebler’s name will still appear on the corresponding constituency list.
The BFK is not alone in experiencing ballot paper issues, with other parties also experiencing mistakes on their papers. In a separate incident, the Freedom Party (FPÖ) filed a complaint with the constitutional court over a mistake on their ballot papers in the Tirol region. The error meant that the party logo was placed incorrectly, which could lead to confusion among voters. However, the electoral authority, as with the BFK mistake, did not deem the issue significant enough to warrant a retraction and reprinting of the ballot papers.
As the Typo on Ballot Papers for Carinthia identified and state election draws nearer, the mistake on the BFK’s ballot papers will be one to watch. While it may not affect the election’s outcome, it has raised questions about the accuracy and attention to detail in the electoral process. For now, voters will have to take extra care to ensure they choose the right party, despite the typo on the ballot papers.