Damme’s Carnival and Election Day Conundrum
The residents of Damme, a town in the Vechta district of Germany, have two significant events marked on their calendars for Sunday: the Bundestag election and the traditional Carnival parade. In Damme, it has been customary for the street carnival to be celebrated a week before the usual dates.
"We didn’t exactly desire this scheduling conflict," said Mike Otte, Damme’s mayor and a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
When the election date of February 23 was announced, the town hall atmosphere was far from enthusiastic, Otte explained. After all, the carnival is a pillar of Damme’s identity, with 9,000 people participating in the parade, roughly half the town’s population.
Understandably, some of the town’s volunteer election workers who assisted in previous elections informed the municipality early on that they would not be available on that day, citing "well-known reasons," as Otte diplomatically put it.
Fortunately, the street carnival in Damme is not confined to one day. The parade also takes place on Monday, "Dammer Rosenmontag." This enabled additional volunteers to step forward and offer their services on Sunday.
Otte expressed gratitude to all those who came forward. The municipality also reduced the number of polling stations from eleven to ten, bringing down the number of required election workers from 88 to 80 for Sunday. "All these measures contributed to easing the situation," Otte said.
For the first time in many years, the mayor himself will not be able to partake in the parade on Sunday. He and ten other municipal employees will be on election duty. Instead, he plans to visit the polling stations before noon and in the afternoon to address any questions or issues that may arise.
However, Otte anticipates that the majority of voters will cast their ballots by midday. The parade, titled "Dammer Traditions-Fastnacht," is scheduled to commence at 12:33 PM. Similar observations were made in 2008 when the state elections coincided with the carnival.
Notably, the proportion of postal voters in Damme is expected to be particularly high this year. By the beginning of the week, over 43% of the approximately 12,600 eligible voters had applied for postal votes. Moreover, the town hall extended its opening hours on the two Fridays preceding the election to accommodate voters who wished to cast their ballots in person.
Those who decide to vote shortly before attending the parade are permitted to do so in costume. Nevertheless, Otte emphasized the importance of ensuring that the individual remains identifiable at all times. Someone heavily disguised as a clown with a red nose, for example, might face difficulties.
From the perspective of the carnivalists, the Bundestag election does not detract from the festivities in any way, according to Ralf Ricking, spokesperson for Damme’s Carnival Society, founded in 1644. Those engaged in volunteer or official capacities on Sunday can still fully participate in the Monday parade.
The parade will feature 200 floats, a number that has remained constant in recent years, Ricking said. Along with the bands and other participants, approximately 9,000 people will march along the nearly five-kilometer-long parade route. A comprehensive security concept, regularly updated in consultation with the police, has been in place for many years. "The police and the carnival committee engage in regular dialogue," Ricking confirmed.
