Voting Process - European voting in North Rhine-Westphalia has remained incident-free.
In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which has the highest population in the federal system, the European election passed off uneventfully. According to the Interior Ministry, voting began smoothly at 8 a.m. and is reported to be running smoothly even at noon. The average voter turnout in eight districts and cities of NRW was around 45% by 2 p.m., as stated by the State Electoral Commissioner Monika Wißmann. Almost all votes sent through the mail have been counted.
In comparison to the last European election in 2019, the average voter turnout in these eight areas has slightly increased. The districts of Düren, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, and Gütersloh, as well as the cities Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Cologne, and Mülheim an der Ruhr, were chosen for the sample survey. NRW's overall voter turnout in the previous election was 61.4%. This was an uptick from 2014, where only half of eligible voters in the state (52.3%) voted.
Despite these uneventful circumstances, a few minor problems arose. In Essen, a polling station located in a nursing home in the Heidhausen district was temporarily stalled due to staff not arriving at the polling station because the ballot box was kept in a locked room to which the residents had no access. Radio Essen reported on this issue. The head of the Essen election office assured that they personally delivered the ballot box and voting materials to the nursing home, starting the voting process at 8:06 a.m. The principal was untouched, and no voters were turned away.
A break-in in Bottrop necessitated the relocation of the polling station from a kindergarten to the foyer, as the originally designated rooms were still under investigation by the forensic team. The City of Bottrop reported that the polling stations in the city were opened on time.
Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia and a member of the CDU, highlighted the value of the EU for the state during his vote at a comprehensive school in his hometown of Rhede, Münsterland. "North Rhine-Westphalia primarily benefits from the EU, more than almost any other German state. Thanks to European integration and stronger cooperation between European peoples, we have managed to move from a marginalized and border region to the center of Europe," said Wüst.
NRW owes its jobs to the EU. Over half a million positions are under threat if European integration suffers damage. " This European election is more important than ever for our continent and the future of democracy," the politician emphasized. "During the last 80 years, we have experienced peace and freedom through European integration and closer cooperation between European peoples."
The state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, along with many politicians and associations, encouraged people to participate in the tenth direct election to the European Parliament and exercise their right to vote for democracy. Absentee voting, which has been available for several weeks, was used by approximately 28% of eligible NRW voters in the 2019 European election.
In the 2019 election, the CDU had the highest result in North Rhine-Westphalia with 27.9%. They were followed by the Greens (23.2%) and the SPD (19.2%). The AfD garnered 8.5%, the FDP received 6.7%, and the Left had 4.2% of the votes. Some 10.3% of the votes were allocated to other parties. The Union (CDU and CSU) obtained the best overall result at 28.9% across Germany. In Germany, the Union has consistently had the leading position in the European elections since 1979. In NRW, the CDU was the frontrunner from 1999, whereas in previous years, the CDU or the SPD occasionally took the top spot.
Information on voter turnout and European elections Informative Dashboard provided by IT.NRW Updated data from North Rhine-Westphalia's State Electoral Commissioner.
Voter turnout and Results of European elections in Germany https://www.it.nrw/ausschuesse/wahleninformationen-zu-europawahlen/ Election Dashboard provided by IT.NRW. https://it.nrw/public-service/ Information from North Rhine-Westphalia's State Electoral Commissioner.
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- The European elections in Bottrop were affected by a minor incident, requiring the relocation of a polling station to the foyer due to a break-in at a kindergarten.
- The city of Gütersloh, situated in North Rhine-Westphalia, was one of the districts included in the sample survey for the European elections.
- Members of the CDU, including Hendrik Wüst, the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, emphasized the importance of European integration and democracy during the European elections.
- Like in 2019, absentee voting was used by a significant portion of eligible voters in North Rhine-Westphalia, with approximately 28% participating in the last European election.
- Bottrop, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, experienced smooth operations at its polling stations, despite the relocation caused by a break-in.
- The city of Mülheim an der Ruhr and other significant cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, such as Düsseldorf and Cologne, were part of the areas chosen for the sample survey during the European elections.
- The Interior Ministry of Germany reported that voting in the European elections began smoothly at 8 a.m. in North Rhine-Westphalia, and by noon, the process was running without major issues.
- In contrast to the 2014 European elections, there was a slight increase in average voter turnout in North Rhine-Westphalia during the 2019 election, with over half of eligible voters participating.
- Dallas-born German politician Jake Hendrickson, currently residing in Duisburg, participated in the European elections, emphasizing the importance of democracy and participation in the electoral process.
