Apply for postal voting
Description
You have received a polling card but cannot or do not want to vote locally in your constituency on election day. In this case, you can vote by post. You must apply for the necessary election documents in advance.
Where you can apply for the documents is indicated on the back of your polling card ("polling card application"). You can have the documents for postal voting sent to you or pick them up at your municipality.
If you pick up your polling card and postal ballot documents in person at your municipality, you can cast your vote on site. You can also instruct a person you trust to collect the postal ballot documents from the municipality. For this, the person needs a written power of attorney from you.
You can either send the completed postal ballot documents to the electoral office or hand them in personally to your municipality.
You are entitled to vote for the election in question and are entered in the voters' register of your commune.
- Provision of personal data (name, date of birth, address)
- Written power of attorney (only if you are making the application on behalf of another person)
There are no costs.
As a rule, you must have applied for postal voting no later than two days before election day, 6:00 p.m.
The ballot letter must be received by the municipality by 6:00 p.m. on election day at the latest.
City or municipal administration
Forms available:
Written form required: Yes
Informal application possible:
Personal appearance required:
Online services available: partial
Upon your application for postal voting, you will receive the following documents:
- the polling card,
- the official ballot paper,
- the official ballot paper envelope,
- the official postal ballot envelope and
- the information sheet on postal voting, which explains postal voting.
Postal voting by post:
- Personally mark the ballot.
- Place the ballot paper in the official ballot paper envelope provided for this purpose and seal it.
- Sign the affirmation pre-printed on the polling card under oath, stating the place and date.
- Insert the sealed official ballot paper envelope and the signed polling card into the official ballot envelope.
- Close the ballot envelope.
Send the ballot letter in good time by post to the place printed on the ballot envelope or hand it in personally. Alternatively, you can send the ballot letter by fax to the competent office or scan it and send it by e-mail to the competent office.
Voting at the polling station:
- Go to a polling station with your polling card and an identity document.
- Identify yourself.
- Hand over your polling card to the local election officer.
You can then choose according to the instructions on site.
If you cannot vote by postal ballot alone because of a physical impairment or because of writing and reading problems, another person may help you.
Your helper must:
- be at least 16 years old and
- confirm under oath that the ballot paper has been marked according to your declared will.
Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community
07.11.2022
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
