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Participate in a federal election

  • Wahlen, Engagement und Beteiligung 



    	    

		    
Procedure

            			
Polling station 


  • You enter the polling station,
  • The polling officer hands out a ballot paper,
  • You mark and fold the ballot paper in the polling booth,
  • You go to the voting table with the folded ballot paper,
  • The polling officer checks your eligibility to vote against the electoral roll (if necessary, by presenting your voter's notification or an identification document),
  • You drop the folded ballot paper into the ballot box.
  • The polling station closes at 6 p.m. and all ballot papers cast are counted.

Postal voting 


  • You submit a postal vote application to the electoral office.
  • The electoral office checks your entry in the electoral roll and thus your eligibility to vote.
  • The postal voting documents are sent to you by the electoral office.
  • You receive the postal voting documents and proceed as follows:
    
 
    • Mark the ballot paper and pack it in the white envelope.
    • The white envelope is placed in the red envelope.
    • Sign the enclosed ballot paper and also place it in the red envelope.
    • Seal the red envelope.
  • Send the red envelope by post.
  • The red envelope arrives at the electoral office. The electoral office stores all red envelopes securely until election day.
  • On election day, all red envelopes and their contents are checked for formalities and the ballot papers are counted from 6 pm.
			
Legal bases
			
More information
Relocation 

If you move house close to the election (6 weeks or less), this may affect your eligibility to vote. In principle, the day of registration with the registration office applies, not the day you actually move in! In such a case, please contact the electoral office as soon as possible to discuss your eligibility to vote.  

Germans living abroad 

Germans living abroad who are not registered in Germany are also referred to as Germans living abroad. They are not officially entered in a voters' register. If Germans living abroad wish to vote in a Bundestag election, they must submit a written application for entry in the voters' register of the relevant municipality before each election.