Press release no. 23/2013 of 11. September 2013
Important information for postal voters in the 2013 Bundestag election
WIESBADEN – The Federal Returning Officer recommends postal voters to strictly follow the instructions on the postal ballot instruction sheet, which they have received as part of the postal ballot documents, to ensure that the votes cast by postal ballot in the election to the 18th Bundestag on 22 September 2013 will be valid.
It is particularly important that the voter
- should put only the ballot paper into the blue voting envelope and
- should seal the blue voting envelope afterwards.
Together with the polling card, which must include the date of signing and the voter's personal signature, the blue voting envelope will have to be put into the red ballot letter envelope. The voter will then have to seal the red ballot letter envelope and send it in good time to the authority indicated on the ballot letter envelope. The postal ballot letter must have been received by the authority no later than 6 p.m. on 22 September 2013.
Postage is free of charge for ballot letters mailed within the Federal Republic of Germany. To ensure that the postal ballot letter will arrive in time, postal voters in Germany should send off their postal ballot letter by mail at the latest on the third working day before election day (Thursday, 19 September 2013). Any voter sending their postal ballot letter later than that will bear the risk that their postal ballot letter might not arrive in time at the election authority, which means that their vote would not be counted in the election.
Postal voters may also deliver the postal ballot letter to the address indicated on the ballot letter envelope; in such cases, too, the voter will bear the risk of the postal ballot letter not arriving in time.
For further information:
Office of the Federal Returning Officer
tel: +49 611 75-4863
www.bundeswahlleiter.de/contact