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Entrance to polling station (symbol image)
Photo: Federico Gambarini / picture alliance / dpa
Election workers initially did not allow a woman with a headscarf and mouth-nose protection in Bergheim near Cologne to cast her vote in the general election.
Only after a complaint from the woman to the election control was an instruction given to the polling station and the eligible voters were able to vote, the city announced on Tuesday.
The reason for the rejection of those eligible to vote was a "misjudgment," the city said.
"According to her own statement, the election worker assumed an inadmissible concealment, although the handling of possible concealment was expressly discussed during the election worker training," it said.
An Islamophobic, racist or discriminatory background could not be confirmed.
The city apologized for the "embarrassing incident" to the woman.
Mayor Volker Mießeler (CDU) spoke to her on the phone and arranged a personal meeting in the town hall.
"There is nothing to gloss over this extraordinary misjudgment, something like that simply shouldn't happen," said Mießeler.
On Monday, a video was published on Instagram that is supposed to show the woman's discussion with election officials on Sunday.
The video and the description of those affected are discussed indignantly on social networks.
In response to the statement and the phone call with the mayor, the woman concerned wrote on Instagram that a specific appointment had not yet been made.
In any case, according to the definition, it is not an isolated case, since at least two people were affected.
It is also too early to assess that it is not a case of racism.
fdi / dpa
