40 days before the federal election on September 26th, boxes with ballot papers piled up in the Starnberg district office yesterday.
Voting notifications will be sent out this week and postal voting will be possible.
The communities are preparing for a rush.
District -
Around 248,000 ballot papers for the federal election on September 26th were delivered to the Starnberg District Office yesterday at noon - on time and on schedule by District Returning Officer Holger Albertzarth. The municipalities have already been able to pick up their boxes, which is the beginning of the “hot phase” of the election - postal voting becomes possible. Nobody knows exactly how high their share will be in the end; the estimates range from 50 to 80 percent.
The process is the same every time: The district office has the voting slips printed, but is extremely careful when putting them together - remember the hustle and bustle of 2017 when a name lost an "e" shortly before going to press, which led to a reprint.
The new ballot papers for the 2021 election will now be distributed to the communities in constituency 224 Starnberg / Landsberg / Germering, who can then give them to postal voters.
In the vast majority of municipalities, voting notifications are sent out this week, usually via a service provider after the electoral roll has been drawn up - which happened last Friday.
At the end of the week, the first citizens should have their notification in their mailbox, but no later than September 4th or 5th.
If it is still missing, you should ask your community.
If you want to vote by mail, you have to apply for it. In the vast majority of municipalities this can be done both online and by letter, but in any case in writing - postal voting by phone call is not possible, the municipalities install safeguards for e-mails so that they do not apply for unauthorized documents - such attempts have been made in the past, however were all discovered immediately. Those who apply online need their number from the electoral roll, which they receive with the notification. The fact that many municipalities already activated their portals for postal voting applications yesterday does not help most of them at first. The pandemic is also leaving its mark: most town hall buildings are still subject to a deadline. That is why communities advisesimply use the mailbox at the town hall for an application and insert the card there to apply. The municipality of Gauting asks, for example, to refrain from visiting the town hall. Spokeswoman Charlotte Rieboldt: "Personal applications are also possible, but not recommended because of the constant occupancy of the registration / passport and electoral office and thus sometimes difficult accessibility." In the Herrsching community it sounds like this: "Due to the current pandemic situation, we ask you to have the postal voting documents sent to you by post if possible and to apply for and pick up the documents in person at the town hall only in exceptional cases. "but less recommendable because of the constant occupancy of the registration / passport and electoral office and thus sometimes difficult accessibility. "With the municipality of Herrsching it sounds like this:" Due to the current pandemic situation, we ask you to have the postal voting documents sent to you by post if possible and to apply for and collect the documents personally from the town hall only in exceptional cases. "but less recommendable because of the constant occupancy of the registration / passport and electoral office and thus sometimes difficult accessibility. "With the municipality of Herrsching it sounds like this:" Due to the current pandemic situation, we ask you to have the postal voting documents sent to you by post if possible and to apply for and collect the documents personally from the town hall only in exceptional cases. "
The communities are expecting a lot of inquiries because of the general trend towards postal voting and because of the pandemic.
In 2017, the postal voting rate in the constituency was 31.5 percent, in the district it is traditionally somewhat higher.
A significant increase is expected for this choice, some experts assume up to 80 percent.
“That is difficult to predict,” says Karl Heinz Springer from the market town of Dießen.
"We expect around 50 percent." Some municipalities had already increased the postal voting capacity for the local elections and are maintaining that.
Around 110,000 people are entitled to vote in the district of Starnberg, in the constituency with Landsberg and Germering there are around 215,000 to 220,000. More than 1,300 electoral officers will be on duty across the district, and most of the communities have already occupied their electoral boards.
