Elections
Wahlen
You will understand who elects whom in Germany, who may vote, which principles elections follow, how the two votes and the 5% threshold work, and who runs an election.
Why we vote
In a democracy, power comes from the people. The people do not decide everything themselves. They elect persons who represent them in the parliament (Parlament).
The persons whom the people elect to parliament are called members of parliament (Abgeordnete). In Germany, the Bundestag is elected directly by the people. The voters are the people entitled to vote (wahlberechtigt), not the military, business or the administration.
Not everyone is elected directly. Citizens do not directly elect the Federal President (Bundespräsident). They also do not directly elect the Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler) or the minister-president (Ministerpräsident) of a state. In the exam, what the people elect directly is the parliament and its members.
There are several kinds of elections. The Bundestag election (Bundestagswahl) elects the parliament of the whole country. The state parliament election (Landtagswahl) elects the parliament of one state. The European election (Europawahl) elects the European members of parliament. The local election (Kommunalwahl) takes place in cities and districts.
- The Bundestag is elected for 4 years.
- So a Bundestag election normally takes place every four years.
- Regular elections make it possible to change the government according to the will of the majority of voters.
Who may vote
The right to cast a vote is called the active right to vote (aktives Wahlrecht). A person who has this right may vote. The right to stand as a candidate so that others can vote for you is a different right.
To vote in a Bundestag election, you must be a citizen (Bürger) of the Federal Republic of Germany and at least 18 years old. Living in Germany, even for a long time, is not enough. Children, even at 14, may not vote.
Taking part in democratic elections is a right (Recht). It is not a duty and not a compulsion. Each person decides whether to vote.
The principles of elections
Elections in Germany must be free (frei), equal (gleich) and secret (geheim). These three principles protect each person's vote.
Free (frei) means that each person decides without compulsion whether to vote and whom to vote for. Nobody may influence voters or force them to vote in a certain way. Voters must also suffer no disadvantage because of the election.
Free does not mean that you may take money to vote for a candidate. It also does not mean that an employer must give time off, that convicted persons are excluded, or that you can choose any polling place.
Secret (geheim) means that nobody learns whom you voted for. This is why you mark your ballot unobserved in the voting booth (Wahlkabine). Nobody else may vote for you, not even a husband for his wife.
You do not have to go to a polling station. In Bundestag and state parliament elections you can send in your vote by post. This is called postal voting (Briefwahl). Voting by telephone on election day is not allowed.
Two votes and the 5% threshold
In a Bundestag election, each voter has two votes: the first vote (Erststimme) and the second vote (Zweitstimme). With the first vote you elect a candidate in your own constituency. With the second vote you elect a party.
This is why the German electoral system is a combined majority and proportional system (Mehrheits- und Verhältniswahlrecht). Part of it is based on the most votes for a single candidate. Another part is based on each party's share of the votes. Old systems such as the census-based franchise (Zensuswahlrecht) or the three-class franchise (Dreiklassenwahlrecht) no longer exist.
The second vote decides the strength of a party. The more second votes a party receives, the more seats it gets in parliament. In general, the party with the most votes wins.
The winning party is not the one with the most male voters or the most workers. The number of votes decides, not the sex or occupation of the voters.
In general, a party that wants to enter the Bundestag must reach a minimum share of the votes. This share is 5% of the second votes. The rule is called the 5% threshold (5%-Hürde).
The reason for this threshold is that if there are too many small parties in parliament, forming a government becomes more difficult.
How an election is run
Before an election, each person entitled to vote receives a notification of election (Wahlbenachrichtigung) from the municipality (Gemeinde). It states your polling place.
Elections are run with the help of many people working as volunteers (ehrenamtlich), called election helpers (Wahlhelfer). Their main task is to count the votes after voting has ended.
Election helpers do not write the notifications, do not pass interim results to the media and do not help children or old people to vote in the booth.
This is an honorary office (Ehrenamt). German citizens must accept it when they are asked.