How to vote in Germany

Sunday 9 June 2024 is the date of the European election in Germany.

Voters will elect 96 Parliament Members in 2024, which is the same number as in the 2019 elections.

Under EU law, all countries must use voting systems that ensure proportional representation, which means that the number of elected Members from each party depends on the share of electoral votes obtained by the party. In Germany, Members are elected in accordance with the principles of proportional representation based on Land lists of candidates. There may be Land lists of candidates for individual Länder or one list for all Länder. Germany uses closed lists, which does not allow voters to change the order of candidates on the list.

Nominations may be provided by parties and other political associations. Independent candidates may not run in European elections in Germany.

Nominations may be provided by parties and other political associations. The deadline for submitting the nominations to the Federal Returning Officer for lists for one Land and joint lists for all Länder is 18.00 CET on Monday 18 March 2024 (83rd day before the election). The Federal Electoral Committee then decides on their admission. Monday, 22 April (48th day before the election) is the last day for a public announcement by the Federal Returning Officer on the lists admitted for individual Länder and the joint lists admitted for all Länder.

Since the 2014 European elections there is no threshold for political parties to be elected to the European Parliament in Germany.

Unlike Bundestag elections, there are no constituencies in European elections. The electoral territory is the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany.

There is no statutory obligation to vote in the Federal Republic of Germany.

In Germany, your are eligible to vote if you

• have reached the age of 16 (to stand for election, however, the minimum age is still 18);
• hold German or another EU citizenship;
• are resident in Germany and have also resided in the EU for at least three months;
• are entered in the electoral register (for the EU citizen).

German or EU citizen voting in Germany
You have to vote in a specific polling station based on your home address. The location of the polling station is indicated on your notification. You can, however, apply for a polling card allowing you to vote by post or to go to another polling station of your administrative district or town (for example, in case your allocated polling station is not accessible).

German citizen voting abroad
You can vote by postal ballot subject to being registered in the voters’ register.

German or EU citizen voting in Germany
If you are German and your primary residence in Germany is registered at least 42 days before the election date, you are automatically registered on the voters’ register of your municipality of residence. People entitled to vote who register a new residence after the 42nd day and before the 21st day before the election will only be entered in the voters' register of the new place of residence upon application. Anyone who is registered to vote must have received an election notification from the municipal authority by the 21st day before the election at the latest. Anyone who has not received an election notification by this date should contact the municipal authority immediately.

EU citizens entitled to vote who are registered in Germany can vote either in Germany or in their home Member State. If they wish to vote in Germany, they must apply to be entered in the electoral roll for their first participation in a European election in Germany; they are then automatically registered for subsequent elections. The application form can be downloaded here(only available in German).

The application must be received by the municipality at the place of residence no later than the 21st day before the election 19th May 2024.

German citizen voting from abroad
If you have no registered domicile in Germany, you are not automatically entered into the voters’ register. You have to submit a formal application for entry into the voters’ register before each election. The municipality in charge is the one you were last registered with before moving abroad.

A municipal authority in Berlin (‘Bezirksamt Mitte’) is responsible for German expatriates who have never lived in the domestic territory for a minimum of three months.
Adult Germans permanently living abroad who are not disqualified from voting are entitled to go to the polls if, after reaching the age of 14 (which means from their 14th birthday), they were either resident in Germany for an uninterrupted period of at least three months and this stay dates back not more than 25 years or for other reasons, they have become familiar, personally and directly, with the political situation in Germany and are affected by it.

You can find more information on Germans living abroad on this page of the website of the Federal Returning Officer.

Generally, voters can prove that they are entitled to vote at a specific polling station by presenting their voter's notifications there. Nevertheless, you should also have your identity card or passport ready to present it if required. If you have forgotten your voter’s notification, you will have to show your identity card.

There are accessible polling stations; your voter's notification states clearly whether your polling station is one of those. If not, you are entitled to request a voter's notification for a different, adapted station. You may also chose to be accompanied by an assistant.
Blind and visually impaired people can cast their votes by using ballot paper templates.
And last but not least, you can request to participate in the elections by postal vote, meaning you do not have to go to the polling station; you will find the instructions on the voter's notification.

You may find easy-to-read information about European elections on the easy-to-read page of this website.
You may also find easy-to-read information in German on the website of the Bundeswahlleiterin (in German).

Yes, you can vote by mail in Germany.
In order to do so, you have to apply to the municipality of your main residence for a polling card. Postal ballot documents will automatically be sent with the polling card. A polling card can be applied for until 18.00 CET on the Friday before election day, at the latest. In exceptional cases it is possible to apply for a polling card to be issued until 15.00 CET on the day of the election, for example if the voter finds it impossible or unreasonably difficult to go to the polling station due to provable sudden illness.

No, you cannot vote online in Germany.

No, you cannot vote by proxy in Germany.