Voting in Germany

There are different types of elections in Germany: Bundestag elections, state elections, municipal elections, and European elections.

• At the Parliament Election ("Bundestagswahl"), the members of the parliament are elected. They, in turn, elect the Federal Chancellor. Bundestag elections happen every 4 years.
• The State Elections ("Landtagswahl") take place every five years-although not simultaneously- in all the 16 federal states. Bremen is the only city in which the election happens every four years. The state parliaments have different names in different cities: In Hamburg and Bremen it is called "Bürgerschaft". In Berlin, it is called "Abgeordnetenhaus" or "House of Representatives", and in all other federal states it is known as "Landtag".
• In municipal elections ("Kommunalwahl"), political representatives are elected to local councils and city councils, as well as in the districts (district councils). Additionally, mayors and district administrators are directly elected by voters in most federal states, while in some states, they are elected by the district council.
• Like all other EU citizens, German nationals elect their representatives in the European Parliament ("Europawahl") every 5 years. In the European elections, each citizen can only choose and vote for one party.

Additionally, elections are held for municipal integration and migration advisory councils. These councils represent the interests of people with a migration background in relation to the politics and administration of the city or municipality. In some federal states, they are directly elected by individuals with “foreign” citizenship. In other states, however, members are elected by migrant representatives or organisations. For more information, please contact your local municipality.

In the Bundestag election, all people who are over 18 years old and have German citizenship can vote. On our "Naturalization" topic page, you can learn more about the requirements for acquiring German citizenship.

In the State elections (“Landtagswahlen”), all people who are over 18 years old and have German citizenship can vote. In Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Hamburg, you can vote from the age of 16 - German citizenship remains a requirement.

All German citizens and EU citizens who have lived in Germany for more than three months can vote in the municipal/ local elections (“Kommunalwahlen”). The minimum age depends on the state. In Saxony, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Bavaria, only people aged 18 and over are allowed to vote. In other federal states, you can vote in local elections from the age of 16.

Furthermore, all adult EU citizens are allowed to vote in the European elections. 

Good to know: To be able to vote, you must also be registered in the electoral register. This usually happens automatically when you register your primary residence.

If you move shortly before the election, you should contact your local municipality to ensure you are entered in the electoral register.

Anyone who is over 18 and has German citizenship may run as a candidate and get elected. State elections in Hesse is the only exception: candidates must be at least 21 years old. 

Elections in Germany are regularly held on Sundays as most people don't work and have time to go to cast their votes. But there is also always the possibility to vote in advance per post. However, voters have to apply for the postal vote. How this works is explained in the election notification, which is sent by post a few weeks before the election to all registered voters listed in the electoral register.

In the federal elections (“Bundestagswahl”), all voters have two votes: the first and the second vote. With the first vote, you elect a candidate from their constituency (“Direktwahl”). You give their second vote to the list of a specific party ("proportional representation"). The second vote is more significant as it determines the distribution of seats in the parliaments. The system mentioned above is also known as "personalsed election on the basis of proportional representation" ("personalisierte Verhältniswahl").

Good to know: The electoral law was reformed in March 2023, limiting the number of seats in the Bundestag to 630. As a result, in the future, it may happen that not all direct candidates who receive the most first votes in their constituency will enter the Bundestag.

In state elections, the right to vote and thus also the number of votes differ depending on the federal state. In most federal states, the system of "personalized election on the basis of proportional representation" ("personalisierte Verhältniswahl") also applies to state elections. The voters, therefore, have a first vote and a second vote.

In local elections, the right to vote and thus the number of votes differ depending on the federal state.

In the European elections, you only have one vote to elect a party.

All voters will receive an "electoral notification" ("Wahlbenachrichtigung") by post with the address of the relevant voting stations, between 4 and 6 weeks no later than three weeks before the election day. The voting stations are temporarily set up in schools or other public buildings. Election booths are set up within the polling stations. When entering the polling station, electoral assistants will ask for your name, ID and electoral notification.

This allows them to compare voter eligibility with the electoral register and ensure that each person votes only once.

The voter receives the ballot, goes into one of the election booths and marks his or her two choices on the ballot (first and second vote). The cabins are used for privacy so that voters cannot see each other’s ballots. After the voter marks his or her choices, the ballot is folded and cast into the sealed ballot box.

Important: If you have not received an election notification but are eligible to vote, you should contact your municipality or city administration to request your registration in the electoral register.

If you cannot go to a voting station on the election day, it is possible to apply for an absentee ballot. You will find a form on the back of the electoral notification that has been sent to you. Then you will receive your voting documents per post, so that you can fill them out at home before election day and then send it back by post or submit it in person at your local municipality.

On the back of your voting notification you will find a form and often also an email address, web address or a QR code. You can use these to apply for absentee voting. You can find out more in our video.

Additionally, eligible voters can also cast their postal vote in person. To do so, they must collect their postal voting documents from the relevant authority in their municipality before election day and vote directly on-site.

If you have German citizenship and live abroad permanently or temporarily, you may be eligible to vote in the Bundestag elections.

You live permanently abroad, and you are eligible to vote if:

• You have lived continuously in Germany for at least three months after the age of 14. This stay must not be more than 25 years ago.
  OR
• You have gained personal and direct familiarity with the political conditions in the Federal Republic of Germany and are affected by them. This applies, for example, to local staff working abroad and people who commute between Germany and another country for work.

To vote, you must register in the electoral register. More information can be found on the website of the Federal Returning Officer.

You are temporarily abroad on election day:

If you are abroad temporarily (e.g., on holiday), you can vote by postal ballot. More information on postal voting can be found in the section “What can I do if I am not available on election day?”.

Many helping hands are needed during an election. The election assistants are individuals, who are themselves entitled to vote and all of them work voluntarily. They check whether the voter is at the right voting station, hand in ballots, and count the votes after the voting time is over. If you are eligible to vote, you can apply as a volunteer at your town hall, citizens advice bureau or district office.

Elections in Germany follow these rules: Elections are public, direct, free, equal, and Confidential. This means:

• Public: All German citizens have the right to vote and to be elected if they meet the minimum age requirement (of 18 years or 16, in some federal states for state and municipal elections).
• Direct: Members of parliament are elected directly or through party lists, not by electors, unlike, e.g. in the Electoral College System in the USA.
• Free: There is no compulsory voting, and no one can be forced to vote.
• Equal: Each voice counts same as others.
• Confidential: only the total result is published. The individual choices of voters remain secret.

In the Federal election (and to some extent, state elections) there is a so-called “5% hurdle”(„Fünf-Prozent-Hürde“) the parties have to pass. That means Each party, must, receive at least five percent of the votes or three direct mandates to be able to enter the parliament. The “hurdle” is supposed to prevent the fragmentations which the presence of too many small parties might cause in the parliament.

As a result of the distinctive electoral system in Germany, it is often not possible for a single party to form a government. To do so, a party would have to win more than 50% of the mandates. So coalition governments are common. That means two or more competing parties will form a coalition and govern the country together. That's why the parties sometimes communicate their possible coalition partners before the elections.

In each election, the voter turnout is measured, that is, the percentage of eligible citizens who actually took part in the election. The level of participation in the “Bundestag” election is relatively high in Germany. In the seventies, it was over 90 percent. Since reunification in 1990, it was 80 percent. In 2021, 76.6% of the eligible citizens participated in the election.

Even if you are not allowed to vote, there are many other ways you can become politically active.

• You can, for instance, join a citizens' initiative ("Bürgerinitiative"). In citizens' initiatives, people work together for a cause, such as building a street or protecting a park. After the goal has been reached, the citizens' initiative usually dissolves.
• If you want to get involved politically for a long-term cause, an interest group ("Interessensverband") could be an option. Such groups commit to a specific issue, e.g. for more environmental protection or workers' rights.
• You can also join a party, found a partner- or sub-organisation of a German party, or work in local communities at migrant organisations or integration advisory council. To learn more about German political scene, read our chapter political parties in Germany.