Have you lost the notification for the 2021 federal election?
We'll tell you how you can vote without the document.
Berlin - No election notification, no federal election. Because the election notification informs about who is entered in the electoral roll. And only those citizens who are listed there are allowed to vote. All German citizens who are at least 18 years old and have lived in Germany for at least three years are entitled to vote. According to the Federal Returning Officer’s website, 60.4 million Germans are eligible to vote in this year's election. The 2021 federal election will take place on September 26th, and all eligible voters should have received their voting notification no later than the 21st day before the election.
(Election data, live ticker, background coverage - all information about the federal election 2021 can be found in our politics newsletter.)
You have not received the voting notification for the 2021 federal election?
You can do that
Specifically, this means: The deadline for delivery of the voting notification ended on September 5th, 2021.
If this deadline has passed without you having received voting notification, you should act and contact your electoral office as soon as possible.
Often this is located as a municipal administration in the town hall.
If this is not the case, you will still receive information there on how to contact your electoral office.
If you are listed correctly in the electoral roll, nothing stands in the way of merging with your voting notification.
By the way, you basically had the right to inspect the electoral roll within the period from September 6th to 10th.
If you were told that you had not received a voting notification because you were not properly entered in the directory, you could have checked this during this time and then lodged an objection.
Of course, there can also be much more mundane reasons for non-delivery, such as problems with postal delivery.
In any case, you should contact your electoral office as soon as possible in order to clarify the matter in due time.
Bundestag election 2021: can I vote with a lost voting notification?
However, if there are simply problems with the post office behind the undelivered voting notification, you can vote without it. The main thing is the entry in the electoral roll. If you are correctly registered there, you do not necessarily need the voting notification. You can still fill out your ballot paper in the voting room and vote, but you must have your ID card or passport ready in any case. The polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on election day.
However, the voting notification not only informs you whether you are eligible to vote, it is also very useful.
In addition to information on election day and time, the location of the voting room and information on whether it is barrier-free is also listed there.
If this is not the case, an application to change the voting room can be made, for example.
Furthermore, it is noted on the notification how a ballot slip for postal voting can be requested.
A sample of both applications can be found on the back of the voting notification.
However, the applications are also available online or can be picked up at the electoral office.
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Election tool and polls for the 2021 federal 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.
In addition, we provide you with all the important data and figures on our interactive map with all the results for constituencies and municipalities.
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