When the state elections take place in Lower Saxony on October 9th, ballot papers must be thrown in.
But what do you have to consider here?
Hanover – A new state parliament will be elected in Lower Saxony on October 9th.
All citizens who are eligible to vote in this election can go to the ballot box on that day and cast their vote.
In doing so, they help decide who will move into the Lower Saxony state parliament for the next five years.
But there are a few things to consider when dealing with the ballot paper for the election in Lower Saxony.
Election in Lower Saxony: What do I have to consider when voting?
The voters of Lower Saxony make their crosses on a ballot paper.
This is divided into two colors.
On the left, printed in black, is a list of the names of direct candidates running for election.
In addition, there is information on occupation, address and the name of the party.
On the right side, printed in blue, are the state lists and parties admitted to the elections with the names of the first three candidates.
In order to be admitted as a voter in the state elections in Lower Saxony, you have to meet several requirements.
You must have reached the age of 18 by the day of the election at the latest, have German citizenship and have registered your main residence in Lower Saxony for at least three months.
Surname | Lower Saxony |
resident | 8,027,031 |
Surface | 47,709.82 km² |
population density | 169 inhabitants per km² |
capital city | Hanover |
Acting Prime Minister | Stephan Weil (SPD) |
First and second vote in the election in Lower Saxony
Eligible voters will receive the ballot paper with the voting notification.
This also includes the application for postal voting.
In the state elections in Lower Saxony, each voter has two votes: the direct vote (first vote) determines the constituency representative, and the list vote (second vote) determines the election of the state list of a party.
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A voter puts his or her ballot paper into the ballot box at a polling station.
© Sebastian Kahnert/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa/Symbolbild
With the list vote, the voter has no influence on the applicants, since they are distributed according to the order specified by the state list.
The two votes can be cast independently of each other.
This means that the first and second votes do not have to be given to the same party (vote splitting).
The direct vote is marked on the left, black printed side, the list vote on the right, blue printed side of the ballot paper.
State elections in Lower Saxony: You have two votes in the election
In Germany, the second vote is more important than the first vote.
In Lower Saxony, too, the second votes decide how many seats a party will receive in total in the state parliament.
It depends on which parties can get a majority and form a government.
Wahl-O-Mat
The Wahl-O-Mat serves as a decision-making aid for elections in Lower Saxony.
It has been online since September 8th.
The five percent hurdle applies to the state elections in Lower Saxony and only those parties are considered that have received at least five percent of the votes.
Only they are then represented in Parliament.
Based on this distribution, it is then decided how many of the candidates who are on the state lists will move into the state parliament alongside the direct candidates.
(Joshua Schoessler)
List of rubrics: © Sebastian Kahnert/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa/Symbolbild
