Protecting free elections
Free Vote Foundation works to ensure the integrity and transparency of electoral processes in Hungary and to preserve public trust in elections.
Our mission is to establish, secure legal recognition for, and put into practice the tradition of independent civic election observation in Hungary, in the service of clean and transparent elections.
The Foundation is politically neutral and independent of political parties, enabling it to fulfil this role with credibility and impartiality.
We work to:
Increase transparency
By helping create a legal framework that enables civic election observation and ballot counting.
Recruit ballot counters
By training observers who safeguard the legality of Hungarian elections, equipping them with comprehensive knowledge to oversee electoral processes
Deploy ballot counters
By supporting the appointment of trained volunteers to polling station election committees.
Document irregularities
By recording irregularities observed before and on election day, preparing reports and making them public.
Educate citizens about elections
By creating and widely sharing accessible educational and information materials on preparing for, conducting and administering elections.
Work with others
By building broad relationships with election-integrity organisations abroad, learning from positive international practice and supporting its adaptation to the Hungarian electoral system.
Raise awareness of the importance of civic participation.
Who are we?
Free Vote Foundation is an independent, non-partisan civic initiative that works to protect the integrity of elections in Hungary.
We believe that every vote counts and that a credible, transparent electoral process is the foundation of democracy.
“The Free Vote Foundation’s civic coalition for clean elections in Hungary is a unique initiative.”
Who is on the team?
Experienced professionals from a range of fields — law, IT, communications and organisation — united by one goal: making elections clean and transparent.
Our leadership team
Our story – beginnings in 2022
Most members of our Foundation’s staff previously worked together on the central team of the 20K initiative. In the 2022 parliamentary elections, we recruited, trained and deployed more than 20,000 volunteers to over 10,000 polling stations across the country.
It was the first time such a large civic team had worked in a coordinated way for clean elections in Hungary. The results showed that an independent presence strengthens public trust and reduces the likelihood of irregularities.
In the 2024 European Parliament and local elections, 20K not only provided ballot counters, but also jointly published the Hungarian Citizen Election Report with the country’s leading civic organisations.