Postal ballot
1. Who may vote by postal ballot?
Any person entitled to vote who is registered in a voters’ register may exercise the
right to vote by postal ballot if he or she applies for a polling card to be issued.
As in the 2009 European and Bundestag Elections it is not necessary anymore to give an
important reason for being absent on election day. Such statement had still been required in the
2005 Bundestag Election.
Persons who have not been entered in the voters’ register for a reason beyond their control
may also apply for a polling card to be issued and vote by postal ballot if certain conditions are
met (see under polling card).
2. When and where is the application to be filed?
Persons entitled to vote who wish to cast their vote by postal ballot should submit the
application for the issue of polling card and postal ballot documents to the local authority of
their main place of residence as early as possible. There is no need to wait for the voter’s
notification to be delivered.
Postal ballot documents could be applied for until 6 p.m. on the last Friday before the
election, that is until 5 June 2009 for the 2009 European Election and until 25 September 2009 for
the 2009 Bundestag Election.
In exceptional cases it is possible to apply for a polling card and postal ballot documents to
be issued until 3 p.m. on the day of the election, especially
- in cases where due to provable sudden illness the voter finds it impossible or unreasonably
difficult to go to the polling station.
Postal ballot documents may be issued only after final approval of the nominations has been
given and after the ballot papers have been printed.
3. What documents are required to vote by postal ballot?
Upon application, the following documents will be handed over or sent to the person
wishing to vote by postal ballot:
- a polling card which must be signed personally by the local authority official authorized to
issue it and which must bear the official seal. If the polling card is issued by an automatic
device, there may be no signature on it; the name of the designated official may be printed on it
instead;
- an official ballot paper;
- an official ballot paper envelope (blue);
- an official return envelope (red) indicating the full address to which the ballot letter has to
be sent, the issuing authority of the municipality and the polling card number or the polling
district;
- a detailed postal ballot instruction sheet containing all the necessary information and clear
illustrations about what the person wishing to vote by postal ballot needs to do. Anyone who
closely observes the instructions on the sheet can be sure that there will be no reasons for the
ballot letter to be rejected (see no. 6).
4. How is the vote cast by postal ballot?
This is how voting by postal ballot works:
- Mark the ballot paper yourself (in
European elections: one vote for the distribution of seats among the German deputies by
parties in the European Parliament; in
Bundestag elections: two votes – first vote for one of the candidates for direct election in
the constituency listed in the left column, second vote for the distribution of seats among the
parties in the Bundestag in the right column);
- Put the ballot paper into the
blue ballot paper envelope and seal the envelope;
- Indicate place and date on the "assurance in lieu of an oath pertaining to the postal ballot"
on the
polling card and sign it;
- Put the polling card and the blue voting envelope into the
red official return envelope;
- Seal the
red official return envelope, put it in the post unstamped (outside the Federal Republic of
Germany: stamped) or hand it in to the authority indicated on the envelope.
Detailed information on the postal ballot and clear illustrations are provided on the postal
ballot instruction sheet which every postal voter will receive together with the documents needed
for the postal ballot procedure.
5. When must postal ballot letters be sent off?
It is of utmost importance that the postal voter sends the ballot letter by mail in good
time or hands it in to the authority indicated on the official return envelope. The postal ballot
letter must be received by the competent authority not later than 6 p.m. on the Sunday on which the
election is held because polling comes to a close at 6. p.m. and the counting of votes begins.
Postal ballot letters received later than 6 p.m. will not be considered in the counting of
votes.
If sent by mail, the ballot letter should be posted in Germany not later than on the third
working day before election to make sure it is received in time. Postal voters may also hand the
postal ballot letter in or have it handed in at the authority indicated on the official return
envelope. In any case the voter bears the risk of the postal ballot letter not being received in
time. Postal ballot letters may be posted free of charge within the Federal Republic of Germany.
Postage has to be paid for letters posted abroad.
The vote may also be cast by postal ballot immediately after the voter has received the postal
ballot documents and the postal ballot letter may be sent to the address imprinted on the letter or
handed in at the same address immediately afterwards. If the person entitled to vote collects the
postal ballot documents personally, he or she may cast his or her vote by postal ballot there and
then at the local authority.
6. Which postal ballot letters will be rejected?
Under the postal ballot procedure, postal ballot letters shall be rejected
if
- the postal ballot letter is not received in time,
- no or no valid ballot paper is enclosed in the official return envelope,
- there is no ballot paper envelope in the official return envelope,
- neither the official return envelope nor the ballot paper envelope is sealed,
- the official return envelope contains several ballot paper envelopes but not an
equal number of valid polling cards bearing the prescribed assurance in lieu of an oath,
- the voter or the person of his or her confidence has failed to sign the prescribed assurance in
lieu of an oath for the postal ballot on the polling card,
- no official ballot paper envelope has been used,
- a ballot paper envelope has been used which obviously differs from the other envelopes in a
manner endangering the secrecy of the ballot or which contains a distinctly tangible object.
The senders of postal ballot letters that are rejected shall not be counted as voters; their
votes shall be deemed uncast.
Legal bases
Bundestag election: Sections 36, 39 of the Federal Elections Act (BWG), Sections 20, 25 to 31,
66, 74, 75 of the Federal Electoral Regulations (BWO)
European election: Section 4 of the European Elections Act (EuWG) in conjunction with
Sections 36, 39 of the Federal Elections Act (BWG); Sections 19, 24 to 30, 59, 67, 68 of the
European Electoral Regulations (EuWO)
|
Postal voters at Bundestag elections since 1957
1)
|
|
|
Election year
|
Postal voters
|
|
| |
number
|
%
2)
|
|
1957
|
1 537 094
|
4.9
|
|
1961
|
1 891 604
|
5.8
|
|
1965
|
2 443 935
|
7.3
|
|
1969
|
2 381 880
|
7.1
|
|
1972
|
2 722 424
|
7.2
|
|
1976
|
4 099 212
|
10.7
|
|
1980
|
4 991 942
|
13.0
|
|
1983
|
4 135 816
|
10.5
|
|
1987
|
4 247 949
|
11.1
|
|
1990
|
4 435 770
|
9.4
|
|
1994
|
6 389 047
|
13.4
|
|
1998
|
8 016 122
|
16.0
|
|
2002
|
8 765 762
|
18.0
|
| 2005 |
8 969 355
|
18,7 |
| 2009 |
9 420 580
|
21,4 |
1) Territory of the Federal Republic of Germany as of 3 October 1990.
2) Of all voters.
|
Postal voters at European elections since 1979
|
|
Election year
|
Postal voters
|
| |
number
|
%
1)
|
|
1979
|
3 064 640
|
10.9
|
|
1984
|
2 763 673
|
11.0
|
|
1989
|
3 757 364
|
13.2
|
|
1994
|
3 954 873
|
10.9
|
|
1999
|
3 847 138
|
14.0
|
|
2004
|
4 103 759
|
15.5
|
|
2009
|
4 953 139
|
18.4
|
1) Of all voters.
Last update: December 2009
©2012 The Federal Returning Officer
