Brandenburg Anticipates Half a Million Postal Voters for German Federal Election
Decline from Pandemic High
Josef Nußbaum, Brandenburg’s State Election Supervisor, estimates that around half a million voters will cast their ballots by postal vote in the upcoming German federal election. This figure is lower than the 544,000 postal voters recorded during the 2021 election, which took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Thursday, approximately 472,000 individuals had applied for postal voting materials, according to Nußbaum. Despite the lower number compared to the pandemic period, he expressed confidence that the 500,000 mark would be reached based on historical data.
Deadline Considerations and Safety Measures
Nußbaum urged postal voters to take necessary precautions due to the shortened timeframes before the Sunday election. He advised voters to either drop off their completed materials at designated municipal mailboxes or vote in person at their respective polling places. For those considering mailing their ballots, Nußbaum stressed the importance of posting them by Tuesday at the latest to ensure timely delivery.
Election Timing and Number of Bundestag Seats
Nußbaum anticipated that the preliminary election results for Brandenburg would not be available until midnight on election day. Due to the recent electoral reform reducing the size of the Bundestag, the final composition of the delegation representing Brandenburg is expected to be determined by Monday morning at the earliest.
Under the reformed system, not all directly elected constituency candidates will automatically secure a seat in the Bundestag. Candidates will only obtain a mandate if their respective party garners sufficient second votes; otherwise, their constituency will remain unrepresented. According to Thomas Nobbe, Deputy State Election Supervisor, it is likely that Brandenburg will elect 21 Bundestag members. However, this number could increase to 22 if voter turnout is high.
Voter Eligibility and Candidate Information
Approximately two million citizens in Brandenburg are eligible to vote in the federal election. Twelve political parties will contest the election with their own state lists: SPD, AfD, CDU, FDP, Greens, Left, Free Voters, Die Partei, Volt, MLPD, Alliance Germany, and BSW. In total, 132 candidates are competing, with 60 running both on a state list and in a constituency, 85 as direct candidates only, and 107 on a state list only. Around 29,000 electoral assistants will support the voting process.
Accessibility for Blind and Partially Sighted Voters
To ensure accessibility, voting templates and a CD featuring information about the candidates are available for blind and partially sighted individuals. Renate Reimann from the Brandenburg Association for the Blind recommended that these voters seek assistance from electoral assistants at their polling places to help them insert the templates correctly. The association has approximately 500 members in Brandenburg.
