Elections - 2.1 million voters: Brandenburg gears up for election year
For Brandenburg's state election director Herbert Trimbach and the State Statistical Office, 2024 will be a super election year: next year, around 2.1 million citizens will be called to vote in the European and local elections on June 9 and the state parliamentary elections on September 22. This makes Brandenburg the third eastern German federal state to elect a state parliament in 2024. In Saxony and Thuringia, the parliaments will be elected on September 1. "The result of the Brandenburg election will therefore certainly attract a lot of attention," said Trimbach on Monday, referring to the AfD's performance.
Trimbach reported that security requirements were particularly high due to fears of outside interference, especially during the European elections. The EU authorities had given special instructions regarding possible hacker attacks and other conceivable attempts at disruption. It was also necessary to be prepared for attempts at disinformation through fake news.
Board member Jörg Fidorra from the State Statistical Office explained that IT security is well equipped. He assured that there are fallback systems for the transmission of election results in the event of disruptions "right down to the good old telephone". The transmitted results would be checked for plausibility by experts. Fidorra does not expect any disruptions to the ballots themselves.
For the first time, 16-year-olds will also be allowed to vote in the European elections, as Trimbach reported. Young people in Brandenburg are already familiar with this from local and state elections. Trimbach expects a particularly high level of effort for the local elections: This is because, in addition to 14 district assemblies and city councils in 4 independent cities, more than 400 municipal councils, 270 honorary mayors and around 1000 local councillors will be elected.
For both election days in June and September, at least 27,000 electoral assistants must be recruited for the approximately 3,700 polling stations, reported Trimbach. In Brandenburg, election committees receive 35 euros in compensation and poll workers 25 euros - double that amount for the double election on June 9.
It is not yet clear whether a party led by former Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht will run in the state elections. "The party would have to be founded first," said Trimbach. In order to participate in the Brandenburg state election, a regional association would also have to be founded and registration would be required by June 17. Then 2,000 signatures from supporters would be required to draw up a state list.
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- The European and local elections in Brandenburg next year, along with the state parliamentary elections, make 2024 a super election year for the state, attracting attention due to the AfD's performance in politics.
- In the European elections, 16-year-olds will be allowed to vote for the first time, following a similar experience with local and state elections in Brandenburg.
- The State Statistical Office, under the direction of board member Jörg Fidorra, has ensured robust IT security with fallback systems, such as phones, to verify election results in case of disruptions.
- The EU Parliament and the state government of Brandenburg will both hold elections this year, making it a crucial period for politics in the region and Europe as a whole.
- Despite the potential risks of outside interference and disinformation, Trimbach, the election director, remains confident that the ballots themselves will be unaffected.
- In addition to state parliamentary elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia will also hold their elections during this super election year, making it a significant period for politics within Germany's eastern states.
- The upcoming state elections in Brandenburg are highly anticipated due to the participation of potential new entrants, such as a possible party led by former Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht, provided they successfully register as a regional association by the required deadline.
Source: www.stern.de
