Federal election 2021: Vote despite Corona quarantine? This is how voting works

The corona pandemic brings with it special challenges - including in the federal elections.

Of course, you can also vote from the quarantine.

Munich / Berlin - The 2021 federal election is not like any other.

Not only the balance of power in the Sunday questions are unusual - the Corona crisis still brings with it very practical challenges.

For the voters too.

Bundestag election: Corona quarantine on election day?

This is how voting works

A question that could become virulent for many citizens in the short term in view of the increasing number of cases: How can the vote be cast if a positive corona test makes quarantine necessary at the last minute?

A visit to the polling station or even the way to the mailbox are then ultimately impossible.

In fact, there are clear guidelines for this case.

The office of the Federal

Returning Officer

explained

how voting in quarantine works at the request of

Merkur.de

.

The first important step is the application and delivery of the postal voting documents and the voting slip.

The second is the path of the documents to the count.

Bundestag election: cast your vote from the corona quarantine - documents can be delivered until shortly before the end

If you cannot go to the polling station yourself at short notice and have not yet ordered postal voting documents, you can still work until shortly before the election date: "Postal voting documents can be requested until 6:00 pm on the Friday before the election," explains a spokeswoman for the Federal Returning Officer.

In the case of "proven sudden illness" - including a corona case - the deadline is even more generous.

According to the information, a request for postal voting is then possible until 3 p.m. on election day.

Bundestag election: Vote despite quarantine - another person can submit documents until 6 p.m.

After the regular filling out of the voting slip in the apartment, the voting documents must be counted.

This can be done by someone else instead of the voter in the event of a corona illness or suspicion (or any other obstacle).

Who that is is determined by the person entitled to vote.

This person “can hand in the completed postal voting documents to the place indicated on the voting envelope by 6:00 p.m.”, the Federal Returning Officer lets know.

The

envelope can also be thrown

in the mailbox at

this point

- but of course the documents should not be sent by post on election day, as they would arrive too late in this way.

Another important note: the documents must explicitly be handed in to the address given on the envelope - not at the local polling station, for example.

There you can only fill out the ballot in person and put it in the ballot box.

According to the Federal Returning Officer, the following applies in every variant: "It is not permitted to exercise the right to vote by a representative instead of the person entitled to vote." Even those who are in quarantine must fill out the ballot themselves and prepare to submit them to send another person to the polling station to represent them to vote is impossible.

Only the errand to submit the documents can be delegated.

(

fn

)

With our politics newsletter you will always find all the news about the federal election.

At

Merkur.de

you can always find out up-to-date in advance what the polls say for the federal election in 2021.

In addition, we provide you with all the important data and figures on our interactive map with all the results for constituencies and municipalities.