Roderich Egeler
President of the Federal Statistical Office
Press release April 2, 2009
2009 election to the European Parliament: Right to vote of Germans living abroad
WIESBADEN – As reported by the Federal Returning Officer, Germans living abroad will be permitted to vote in the 7th Direct Election of the Members of the European Parliament from the Federal Republic of Germany on 7 June 2009 provided that
– they are German citizens pursuant to Article 116 of the Basic Constitutional Law,
– they have completed their 18th year of age on election day (7 June 2009),
– they have lived in the Federal Republic of Germany for a minimum of three months
in a row after 23 May 1949,
and
– they are not denied the right to vote.
The exclusion from the right to vote of German citizens 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 European and Bundestag elections, has been deleted.
Germans living abroad and wishing to cast their vote in the 2009 election to the European Parliament in Germany must meet specific conditions, which depend on whether those persons still have a registered place of residence in Germany.
1. Germans residing in Germany and temporarily staying abroad
Germans who temporarily stay abroad but continue to be registered in Germany will ex officio be entered in the register of voters of their municipality and may cast their vote in the 2009 European election by postal ballot. It is necessary here to request in writing or orally that the local authority issue a polling card. The request may also be submitted by telegram, telex, fax or e-mail, although not by telephone. Anyone filing the request on behalf of another person must submit a relevant written proxy.
The request for postal ballot may also be submitted by completing the polling card application, which is printed on the reverse side of the voter’s notification. Persons going abroad before receiving the voter’s notification, which will be sent by 17 May 2009 at the latest, are recommended to contact the electoral office of the municipality where they have their place of residence.
2. Germans permanently residing abroad
Germans permanently residing abroad and no longer having a place of residence in Germany who wish to cast their vote in the 2009 European election must have their names entered in due time in the register of voters of their last home municipality in Germany. At the same time, they must affirm in lieu of an oath that they are entitled to vote. That entry based on the affirmation in lieu of an oath must be requested in writing using a specific form.
The application form for entry in a register of voters for the 2009 European election may be downloaded as a pdf file from the website of the Federal Returning Officer,
and is available as a paper form
– from all embassies and consulates of the Federal Republic of Germany,
– from the Federal Returning Officer at the following address:
Datenerfassung für den Bundeswahlleiter,
Statistisches Bundesamt, Zweigstelle Bonn,
Postfach 17 03 77, 53029 Bonn
tel: 49(0)611/75 85 18
fax: 49(0)611/75 89 88
contact: www.destatis.de/contact
or
– from all constituency and town returning officers in Germany.
Together with their own application forms, applicants may obtain forms for family members, friends or colleagues. Firms and associations may request delivery of the required number of application forms for their staff abroad.
Germans living abroad and entitled to vote have to submit their application for entry in the register of voters personally to the municipality where they were last registered before leaving Germany.
The application must have been received by the competent municipal authority in Germany by 17 May 2009 at the latest and should therefore be sent as early as possible.
After German citizens living abroad have been entered in the register of voters, they will be provided with the documents required for postal vote (polling card, ballot paper, voting envelope, ballot letter envelope, and sheet of notes for postal voters) without further request but not earlier than one month before election day.
All documents (polling card with affirmation in lieu of an oath and the ballot paper in the sealed voting envelope) will have to be returned by the voters to the authority indicated on the ballot letter envelope in good time for that authority to receive the postal ballot letter by election day, the 7 June 2009 by the end of the voting hours at 6 p.m. at the latest. Some embassies and consulates of the Federal Republic of Germany offer a service for delivery of the completed postal ballot documents. For such information the relevant mission abroad should be contacted directly.
For further information please contact:
Karina Schorn,
tel: (+49-611) 75-2317,
contact: www.destatis.de/contact