When will the voting slip for the 2021 federal election become invalid?
There are certain mistakes you should not make when filling out the form.
All information about the first and second vote.
Berlin - The German Bundestag is elected every four years. To make it work, he needs MPs. These are elected by the people entitled to vote in the Bundestag election by voting slip. The MPs then elect the Federal Chancellor, and government coalitions are then formed. The voters are therefore asked to cast their votes - by postal vote or on site at the polling station. Always with you: the voting slip. It will also play an important role in the 2021 federal election. We clarify the most important questions and show you what to look out for when casting your vote.
(Election data, live ticker, background coverage - all information about the federal election 2021 can be found in our politics newsletter.)
Federal Parliament election 2021: first and second vote on the ballot
The simple thing at the beginning: You choose by ticking the box.
In elections to the Bundestag, every voter has a first and a second vote.
The first vote elects a direct candidate in the respective constituency, the second vote elects a party.
The second vote is particularly important for the formation of a government, as it shows the majority ratios based on the percentage of votes.
Keyword five percent hurdle: parties that want to move into the Bundestag must get at least five percent of the second vote.
Invalid ballot in the 2021 federal election: these mistakes should be avoided
The voting slip is relatively clearly divided into two pages.
On the left, the list of applicants from the associated constituency is printed in black.
On the right-hand side there is the state list in blue with the parties eligible for election as well as the first five applicant names.
The list for the first vote is black, the list for the second vote is blue.
Only one cross may be placed per list, otherwise the voting slip will be invalid.
However, the lists are to be assessed independently.
Means: If more than one direct candidate is ticked, but only one party is elected, the first vote is forfeited, the second vote remains valid - and vice versa.
Furthermore, no comments or the like may be written on the voting slip, otherwise it will also become invalid.
Voting at the polling station: This is how voting in the federal election works
Eligible voters can fill in and submit their ballot either at home by postal vote or on site at a polling station.
With the first option, the ballot ends up in the mailbox first, with the second in the ballot box.
In the run-up to the election, at the latest on the 21st day before the election, all citizens entitled to vote should have received a voting notification.
This contains information on the election day and the election time, but above all on the election location.
It is also listed there whether the respective polling station is barrier-free.
When you arrive at the polling station, all you have to do is place the crosses, fold the ballot paper and throw it in.
The polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the day of the election.
If you are still unsure about your vote, the Wahl-O-Mat may be able to support you.
The election tool shows you which parties you have a lot of similarities with.
We also offer you an overview of the current polls for the 2021 federal election.
Federal Parliament election 2021: Information on postal voting
As an alternative to voting at the polling station, you can also cast your vote by postal vote. For this purpose, a voting slip had to be requested from the respective municipality in advance. The voting slip application can be picked up at the municipal electoral office or downloaded from the associated website. Alternatively, you can use the sample already printed on the back of the voting notification. However, the postal vote could not be requested by telephone. The application also had to reach the respective electoral office by September 24, 2021 at 6 p.m.
The postal voting documents contain a voting slip, voting slip, blue voting envelope and a red postal voting envelope.
Voting on the ballot paper works exactly like casting at the polling station.
However, there are a few more things to consider when voting by postal vote.
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.
(live)
