Greater Turnout of Voters observed in German Elections compared to 2019
Slightly over 65 million Germans are allowed to cast their votes in the European election happening now. So far, more are availing this opportunity compared to 2019. There are clear contrasts in regards to this interest.
The European election is garnering more attention among German citizens in comparison to five years ago. By 2 PM today, 32.3% had exercised their right to vote, as stated by the Federal Election Commissioner Ruth Brand, without considering mail-ins. Back in 2019, the percentage was lower at 29.4%. The overall voter turnout ended up being 61.4%. It's important to point out that these interim statistics from 2019 and now are not exactly the same in their methodology.
Currently, there's no explicit data on mail-in votes. However, some places like Frankfurt am Main are reporting a higher percentage this time around as compared to 2019. On the other hand, the Saxon Election Commission notified that they've seen 51.1% of eligible voters already voting by 2 PM, a 6% increase from back then. Leipzig, for instance, experienced an increase of more than 10% in voter turnout, tallying to 52.3%.
Media outlets, such as the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, have noted higher voter turnout in Munich and Nuremberg. Meanwhile, Norddeutscher Rundfunk observes only moderate interest in Schleswig-Holstein, with only 38.4% having cast their vote by 2 PM. In eight states - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland - both regional and European elections are going on at the same time.
Interestingly, Germany saw a rise in voter turnout in the European election five years ago, compared to 2014 when the rate was only 25.6% by 2 PM and 48.1% overall.
Commissioner Brand calculated this provisional voter turnout with the aid of the state election commissions, who assessed voter turnout in a selection of polling stations across Germany. In the afternoon, she urged people to join the voting process. Polling stations will remain active until Sunday, 6 PM.
For the very first time, those aged 16 and 17 are eligible to vote in the European elections, which impacts nearly 1.4 million people. It's uncertain whether this will result in a higher voter turnout.
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The surge in voter turnout in the European elections is not limited to Germany, as local elections also see an increase in interest. Despite not having specific data yet, it's anticipated that local elections in some areas will also surpass their 2019 turnout rates.
Bringing attention to the broader European context, this increased interest in local elections mimics the trend seen in the European elections, indicating a growing awareness among German citizens regarding their local and European political landscape.
