# East Styria (National Council electoral district)

East Styria (German: Oststeiermark), also known as Electoral District 6B (German: Wahlkreis 6B), is one of the 39 multi-member regional electoral districts of the National Council, the lower house of the Austrian Parliament, the national legislature of Austria. The electoral district was established in 2012 by the merger of Styria East and Styria South East following the re-organisation of the regional electoral districts in Styria to reflect the new administrative district structure and came into being at the following legislative election in 2013. It consists of the districts of Hartberg-Fürstenfeld, South East Styria and Weiz in the state of Styria. The electoral district currently elects six of the 183 members of the National Council using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2019 legislative election the constituency had 217,383 registered electors.

## History

East Styria was established in 2012 by the merger of Styria East and Styria South East following the re-organisation of the regional electoral districts in Styria to reflect the new administrative district structure. It consisted of the districts of Hartberg-Fürstenfeld, South East Styria and Weiz in the state of Styria. The district was initially allocated six seats in April 2013.

## Electoral system

East Styria currently elects six of the 183 members of the National Council using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. The allocation of seats is carried out in three stages. In the first stage, seats are allocated to parties (lists) at the regional level using a state-wide Hare quota (wahlzahl) (valid votes in the state divided by the number of seats in the state). In the second stage, seats are allocated to parties at the state/provincial level using the state-wide Hare quota (any seats won by the party at the regional stage are subtracted from the party's state seats). In the third and final stage, seats are allocated to parties at the federal/national level using the D'Hondt method (any seats won by the party at the regional and state stages are subtracted from the party's federal seats). Only parties that reach the 4% national threshold, or have won a seat at the regional stage, compete for seats at the state and federal stages.
Electors may cast one preferential vote for individual candidates at the regional, state and federal levels. Split-ticket voting (panachage), or voting for more than one candidate at each level, is not permitted and will result in the ballot paper being invalidated. At the regional level, candidates must receive preferential votes amounting to at least 14% of the valid votes cast for their party to over-ride the order of the party list (10% and 7% respectively for the state and federal levels).

## Election results
### Summary

| Election | Communists KPÖ+ / KPÖ | Communists KPÖ+ / KPÖ | Communists KPÖ+ / KPÖ | Social Democrats SPÖ | Social Democrats SPÖ | Social Democrats SPÖ | Greens GRÜNE | Greens GRÜNE | Greens GRÜNE | NEOS NEOS | NEOS NEOS | NEOS NEOS | People's ÖVP | People's ÖVP | People's ÖVP | Freedom FPÖ | Freedom FPÖ | Freedom FPÖ |
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats |
| 2019 | 1,106 | 0.67% | 0 | 22,422 | 13.57% | 0 | 15,157 | 9.18% | 0 | 9,013 | 5.46% | 0 | 79,887 | 48.36% | 3 | 35,216 | 21.32% | 1 |
| 2017 | 874 | 0.49% | 0 | 31,150 | 17.63% | 1 | 3,540 | 2.00% | 0 | 7,059 | 4.00% | 0 | 68,912 | 39.00% | 2 | 58,476 | 33.10% | 2 |
| 2013 | 1,512 | 0.89% | 0 | 29,801 | 17.62% | 1 | 12,798 | 7.57% | 0 | 4,680 | 2.77% | 0 | 49,312 | 29.16% | 1 | 40,757 | 24.10% | 1 |

### Detailed
#### 2019

Results of the 2019 legislative election held on 29 September 2019:
| Party | Party | Party | Votes per district | Votes per district | Votes per district | Votes per district | Total votes | % | Seats |
| Party | Party | Party | Hart- berg- Fürst- enfeld | South East Styria | Weiz | Voting card | Total votes | % | Seats |
| | Austrian People's Party | ÖVP | 28,611 | 26,772 | 24,400 | 104 | 79,887 | 48.36% | 3 |
| | Freedom Party of Austria | FPÖ | 12,583 | 11,631 | 10,940 | 62 | 35,216 | 21.32% | 1 |
| | Social Democratic Party of Austria | SPÖ | 7,196 | 6,204 | 8,985 | 37 | 22,422 | 13.57% | 0 |
| | The Greens – The Green Alternative | GRÜNE | 4,963 | 3,941 | 6,146 | 107 | 15,157 | 9.18% | 0 |
| | NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum | NEOS | 2,947 | 2,738 | 3,276 | 52 | 9,013 | 5.46% | 0 |
| | JETZT | JETZT | 596 | 556 | 678 | 19 | 1,849 | 1.12% | 0 |
| | KPÖ Plus | KPÖ+ | 285 | 324 | 493 | 4 | 1,106 | 0.67% | 0 |
| | Der Wandel | WANDL | 180 | 140 | 212 | 6 | 538 | 0.33% | 0 |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 57,361 | 52,306 | 55,130 | 391 | 165,188 | 100.00% | 4 |
| Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | 663 | 562 | 669 | 5 | 1,899 | 1.14% | |
| Total Polled | Total Polled | Total Polled | 58,024 | 52,868 | 55,799 | 396 | 167,087 | 76.86% | |
| Registered Electors | Registered Electors | Registered Electors | 74,303 | 70,451 | 72,629 | | 217,383 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 78.09% | 75.04% | 76.83% | | 76.86% | | |
The following candidates were elected:
* Party mandates - Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP), 2,424 votes; Walter Rauch (FPÖ), 1,870 votes; Christoph Stark (ÖVP), 7,270 votes; and Agnes Totter (ÖVP), 1,778 votes.
Substitutions:
* Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP) resigned on 2 July 2024 and was replaced by Kerstin Fladerer (ÖVP) on 3 July 2024.

#### 2017

Results of the 2017 legislative election held on 15 October 2017:
| Party | Party | Party | Votes per district | Votes per district | Votes per district | Votes per district | Total votes | % | Seats |
| Party | Party | Party | Hart- berg- Fürst- enfeld | South East Styria | Weiz | Voting card | Total votes | % | Seats |
| | Austrian People's Party | ÖVP | 24,319 | 23,295 | 21,173 | 125 | 68,912 | 39.00% | 2 |
| | Freedom Party of Austria | FPÖ | 20,766 | 19,136 | 18,476 | 98 | 58,476 | 33.10% | 2 |
| | Social Democratic Party of Austria | SPÖ | 10,178 | 8,776 | 12,087 | 109 | 31,150 | 17.63% | 1 |
| | NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum | NEOS | 2,309 | 2,090 | 2,618 | 42 | 7,059 | 4.00% | 0 |
| | Peter Pilz List | PILZ | 1,481 | 1,237 | 1,654 | 34 | 4,406 | 2.49% | 0 |
| | The Greens – The Green Alternative | GRÜNE | 1,132 | 974 | 1,406 | 28 | 3,540 | 2.00% | 0 |
| | My Vote Counts! | GILT | 453 | 428 | 619 | 9 | 1,509 | 0.85% | 0 |
| | Communist Party of Austria | KPÖ | 247 | 257 | 363 | 7 | 874 | 0.49% | 0 |
| | Free List Austria | FLÖ | 170 | 158 | 138 | 0 | 466 | 0.26% | 0 |
| | The Whites | WEIßE | 93 | 109 | 81 | 2 | 285 | 0.16% | 0 |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 61,148 | 56,460 | 58,615 | 454 | 176,677 | 100.00% | 5 |
| Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | 609 | 493 | 504 | 0 | 1,606 | 0.90% | |
| Total Polled | Total Polled | Total Polled | 61,757 | 56,953 | 59,119 | 454 | 178,283 | 81.89% | |
| Registered Electors | Registered Electors | Registered Electors | 74,366 | 70,779 | 72,553 | | 217,698 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 83.04% | 80.47% | 81.48% | | 81.89% | | |
The following candidates were elected:
* Personal mandates - Christoph Stark (ÖVP), 9,914 votes.
* Party mandates - Klaus Uwe Feichtinger (SPÖ), 1,399 votes; Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP), 6,217 votes; Walter Rauch (FPÖ), 2,631 votes; and Christian Schandor (FPÖ), 790 votes.

#### 2013

Results of the 2013 legislative election held on 29 September 2013:
| Party | Party | Party | Votes per district | Votes per district | Votes per district | Votes per district | Total votes | % | Seats |
| Party | Party | Party | Hart- berg- Fürst- enfeld | South East Styria | Weiz | Voting card | Total votes | % | Seats |
| | Austrian People's Party | ÖVP | 18,505 | 17,774 | 12,957 | 76 | 49,312 | 29.16% | 1 |
| | Freedom Party of Austria | FPÖ | 13,501 | 14,088 | 13,116 | 52 | 40,757 | 24.10% | 1 |
| | Social Democratic Party of Austria | SPÖ | 10,106 | 9,111 | 10,526 | 58 | 29,801 | 17.62% | 1 |
| | Team Stronach | FRANK | 6,950 | 6,994 | 8,709 | 30 | 22,683 | 13.41% | 0 |
| | The Greens – The Green Alternative | GRÜNE | 3,956 | 3,532 | 5,238 | 72 | 12,798 | 7.57% | 0 |
| | Alliance for the Future of Austria | BZÖ | 2,052 | 1,930 | 1,941 | 14 | 5,937 | 3.51% | 0 |
| | NEOS – The New Austria | NEOS | 1,604 | 1,555 | 1,481 | 40 | 4,680 | 2.77% | 0 |
| | Communist Party of Austria | KPÖ | 387 | 444 | 671 | 10 | 1,512 | 0.89% | 0 |
| | Pirate Party of Austria | PIRAT | 304 | 277 | 306 | 2 | 889 | 0.53% | 0 |
| | Christian Party of Austria | CPÖ | 293 | 261 | 196 | 4 | 754 | 0.45% | 0 |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 57,658 | 55,966 | 55,141 | 358 | 169,123 | 100.00% | 3 |
| Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | 1,030 | 1,047 | 954 | 8 | 3,039 | 1.77% | |
| Total Polled | Total Polled | Total Polled | 58,688 | 57,013 | 56,095 | 366 | 172,162 | 78.28% | |
| Registered Electors | Registered Electors | Registered Electors | 73,732 | 73,883 | 72,324 | | 219,939 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 79.60% | 77.17% | 77.56% | | 78.28% | | |
The following candidates were elected:
* Party mandates - Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP), 4,365 votes; Walter Rauch (FPÖ), 1,812 votes; and Sonja Steßl (SPÖ), 1,977 votes.
Substitutions:
* Sonja Steßl (SPÖ) resigned on 16 December 2013 and was replaced by Klaus Uwe Feichtinger (SPÖ) on 17 December 2013.
* Klaus Uwe Feichtinger (SPÖ) resigned on 18 May 2016 and was replaced by Sonja Steßl (SPÖ) on 19 May 2016.