# Greater Graz (National Council electoral district)

Greater Graz (German: Graz und Umgebung), also known as Electoral District 6A (German: Wahlkreis 6A), 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 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 city of Graz and the district of Greater Graz in the state of Styria. The electoral district currently elects nine 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 317,873 registered electors.

## History

Greater Graz was established in 2012 following the re-organisation of the regional electoral districts in Styria to reflect the new administrative district structure. It consisted of the city of Graz and the district of Greater Graz in the state of Styria. The district was initially allocated eight seats in April 2013. Electoral regulations require the allocation of seats amongst the electoral districts to be recalculated following each national census and in June 2013 the number of seats allocated to Greater Graz was increased to nine based on the population as at the 2011 national census.

## Electoral system

Greater Graz currently elects nine 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 | 4,157 | 1.76% | 0 | 39,701 | 16.82% | 1 | 51,718 | 21.91% | 1 | 23,219 | 9.84% | 0 | 76,008 | 32.20% | 2 | 34,487 | 14.61% | 1 |
| 2017 | 4,859 | 1.95% | 0 | 64,789 | 26.02% | 2 | 12,290 | 4.93% | 0 | 18,569 | 7.46% | 0 | 71,375 | 28.66% | 2 | 59,011 | 23.70% | 2 |
| 2013 | 6,040 | 2.68% | 0 | 45,054 | 19.99% | 1 | 39,800 | 17.66% | 1 | 13,409 | 5.95% | 0 | 39,887 | 17.70% | 1 | 49,486 | 21.96% | 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 | Total votes | % | Seats |
| Party | Party | Party | Graz City | Greater Graz | Voting card | Total votes | % | Seats |
| | Austrian People's Party | ÖVP | 40,705 | 34,853 | 450 | 76,008 | 32.20% | 2 |
| | The Greens – The Green Alternative | GRÜNE | 38,580 | 12,407 | 731 | 51,718 | 21.91% | 1 |
| | Social Democratic Party of Austria | SPÖ | 23,252 | 16,221 | 228 | 39,701 | 16.82% | 1 |
| | Freedom Party of Austria | FPÖ | 16,921 | 17,392 | 174 | 34,487 | 14.61% | 1 |
| | NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum | NEOS | 15,782 | 7,083 | 354 | 23,219 | 9.84% | 0 |
| | JETZT | JETZT | 3,936 | 1,561 | 78 | 5,575 | 2.36% | 0 |
| | KPÖ Plus | KPÖ+ | 3,174 | 960 | 23 | 4,157 | 1.76% | 0 |
| | Der Wandel | WANDL | 788 | 373 | 13 | 1,174 | 0.50% | 0 |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 143,138 | 90,850 | 2,051 | 236,039 | 100.00% | 5 |
| Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | 957 | 791 | 9 | 1,757 | 0.74% | |
| Total Polled | Total Polled | Total Polled | 144,095 | 91,641 | 2,060 | 237,796 | 74.81% | |
| Registered Electors | Registered Electors | Registered Electors | 196,811 | 121,062 | | 317,873 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 73.21% | 75.70% | | 74.81% | | |
The following candidates were elected:
* Personal mandates - Werner Kogler (GRÜNE), 12,991 votes.
* Party mandates - Juliane Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP), 5,274 votes; Ernst Gödl (ÖVP), 5,670 votes; Axel Kassegger (FPÖ), 634 votes; and Verena Nussbaum (SPÖ), 1,733 votes.
Substitutions:
* Juliane Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP) resigned on 18 December 2019 and was replaced by Martina Kaufmann (ÖVP).
* Werner Kogler (GRÜNE) resigned on 7 January 2020 and was replaced by Heike Grebien (GRÜNE) on 9 January 2020.
* Martina Kaufmann (ÖVP) was reassigned to the Styria seat vacated by Karl Schmidhofer and was replaced by Kurt Egger (ÖVP) in Greater Graz on 1 October 2021.

#### 2017

Results of the 2017 legislative election held on 15 October 2017:
| Party | Party | Party | Votes per district | Votes per district | Votes per district | Total votes | % | Seats |
| Party | Party | Party | Graz City | Greater Graz | Voting card | Total votes | % | Seats |
| | Austrian People's Party | ÖVP | 41,050 | 29,777 | 548 | 71,375 | 28.66% | 2 |
| | Social Democratic Party of Austria | SPÖ | 41,402 | 22,824 | 563 | 64,789 | 26.02% | 2 |
| | Freedom Party of Austria | FPÖ | 29,267 | 29,497 | 247 | 59,011 | 23.70% | 2 |
| | NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum | NEOS | 12,958 | 5,281 | 330 | 18,569 | 7.46% | 0 |
| | Peter Pilz List | PILZ | 11,041 | 3,874 | 204 | 15,119 | 6.07% | 0 |
| | The Greens – The Green Alternative | GRÜNE | 9,467 | 2,649 | 174 | 12,290 | 4.93% | 0 |
| | Communist Party of Austria | KPÖ | 3,952 | 865 | 42 | 4,859 | 1.95% | 0 |
| | My Vote Counts! | GILT | 1,440 | 889 | 24 | 2,353 | 0.94% | 0 |
| | Free List Austria | FLÖ | 184 | 173 | 1 | 358 | 0.14% | 0 |
| | The Whites | WEIßE | 178 | 132 | 5 | 315 | 0.13% | 0 |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 150,939 | 95,961 | 2,138 | 249,038 | 100.00% | 6 |
| Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | 826 | 656 | 6 | 1,488 | 0.59% | |
| Total Polled | Total Polled | Total Polled | 151,765 | 96,617 | 2,144 | 250,526 | 78.86% | |
| Registered Electors | Registered Electors | Registered Electors | 197,958 | 119,731 | | 317,689 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 76.67% | 80.70% | | 78.86% | | |
The following candidates were elected:
* Party mandates - Ernst Gödl (ÖVP), 7,177 votes; Karin Greiner (SPÖ), 832 votes; Axel Kassegger (FPÖ), 1,351 votes; Martina Kaufmann (ÖVP), 3,393 votes; Günther Kumpitsch (FPÖ), 818 votes; and Verena Nussbaum (SPÖ), 2,542 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 | Total votes | % | Seats |
| Party | Party | Party | Graz City | Greater Graz | Voting card | Total votes | % | Seats |
| | Freedom Party of Austria | FPÖ | 26,293 | 23,027 | 166 | 49,486 | 21.96% | 1 |
| | Social Democratic Party of Austria | SPÖ | 25,242 | 19,595 | 217 | 45,054 | 19.99% | 1 |
| | Austrian People's Party | ÖVP | 23,222 | 16,340 | 325 | 39,887 | 17.70% | 1 |
| | The Greens – The Green Alternative | GRÜNE | 29,574 | 9,691 | 535 | 39,800 | 17.66% | 1 |
| | Team Stronach | FRANK | 9,895 | 9,326 | 84 | 19,305 | 8.57% | 0 |
| | NEOS – The New Austria | NEOS | 9,568 | 3,656 | 185 | 13,409 | 5.95% | 0 |
| | Alliance for the Future of Austria | BZÖ | 5,172 | 3,568 | 71 | 8,811 | 3.91% | 0 |
| | Communist Party of Austria | KPÖ | 4,627 | 1,389 | 24 | 6,040 | 2.68% | 0 |
| | Pirate Party of Austria | PIRAT | 2,186 | 718 | 36 | 2,940 | 1.30% | 0 |
| | Christian Party of Austria | CPÖ | 339 | 295 | 0 | 634 | 0.28% | 0 |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 136,118 | 87,605 | 1,643 | 225,366 | 100.00% | 4 |
| Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | Rejected Votes | 1,570 | 1,136 | 21 | 2,727 | 1.20% | |
| Total Polled | Total Polled | Total Polled | 137,688 | 88,741 | 1,664 | 228,093 | 72.80% | |
| Registered Electors | Registered Electors | Registered Electors | 196,557 | 116,758 | | 313,315 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70.05% | 76.00% | | 72.80% | | |
The following candidates were elected:
* Personal mandates - Gerald Klug (SPÖ), 6,711 votes.
* Party mandates - Mario Kunasek (FPÖ), 3,618 votes; Bernd Schönegger (ÖVP), 1,227 votes; and Judith Schwentner (GRÜNE), 1,985 votes.
Substitutions:
* Gerald Klug (SPÖ) resigned on 16 December 2013 and was replaced by Michael Ehmann (SPÖ) on 17 December 2013.
* Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) resigned on 15 June 2015 and was replaced by Günther Kumpitsch (FPÖ) on 16 June 2015.
* Michael Ehmann (SPÖ) resigned on 18 May 2016 and was replaced by Gerald Klug (SPÖ) on 19 May 2016.