Roderich Egeler
President of the Federal Statistical Office
Press release August 17, 2009
Bundestag election: application period for Germans living abroad ending on 6 September
WIESBADEN – The Federal Returning Officer points to the fact that 6 September 2009 is the deadline for Germans living abroad and wishing to vote in the Bundestag election on 27 September 2009, which requires them to apply for registration in the register of voters. In some countries, the Federal Foreign Office offers to the Germans entitled to vote to use the official courier service between specific missions abroad and the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin to return their postal ballot letters. A list of relevant missions abroad is available on the website of the Federal Returning Officer.
Germans living abroad and wishing to vote in the 2009 Bundestag election should as soon as possible file an application for registration in the register of voters of the municipality in which they were last registered before leaving Germany. The application must arrive at the municipality by 6 September 2009. Also, Germans who live abroad and who, upon request, had been listed in the register of voters for the 2009 European election or for the last Bundestag election in 2005 must file an application for registration again for the 2009 Bundestag election. Germans living abroad will obtain further information and the application form from any embassy or consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany and from the website of the Federal Returning Officer.
The exclusion from the right to vote of Germans residing outside the Member States of the Council of Europe who had departed from the Federal Republic of Germany more than 25 years ago, which was still in force for the last Bundestag election, has been deleted.
Germans who have a place of residence in Germany and who stay abroad only temporarily while they continue to be registered in Germany will be registered ex officio in the register of voters of their municipality and can participate in the 2009 Bundestag election by postal ballot. They may apply already now either by letter (also by fax of e-mail) or orally to the competent municipal authority to receive a polling card. However, the application cannot be submitted by telephone. The application for postal vote may also be submitted by completing the application for a polling card printed on the back of the voter’s notification card. Anyone filing the application on behalf of another person must submit a relevant written proxy.
For further information please contact:
Karina Schorn,
tel: (+49-611) 75-2317,
e-mail: bundeswahlleiter@destatis.de