Parliament in Europe Legislative body that represents the interests of the European Union's citizens and governments. - Increase in Hamburg residents requesting mail-in ballots
With the European and District Assembly elections right around the corner, the number of absentee votes is on the rise in Hamburg. Already, 27% of the 1.32 million eligible voters for European elections and 25% of the 1.42 million eligible voters for District elections have received their ballots - five percent more than in the previous election five years ago. State Election Commissioner Oliver Rudolf made this announcement during a meeting at the town hall on Tuesday.
Rudolf cautioned against reading too much into these numbers, as it's still unclear if this translates to higher interest in the elections. He reiterated his hope for a high voter turnout at the polling stations, stating that "democracy is the foundation of our free society."
Voters still have the option to request absentee ballots until Friday at 6:00 PM. It's not only more convenient to handle these transactions at the election offices, but also helps save on postage. For the District elections, it's crucial to submit ballots to the District Election Office by the end of election day.
Absentee voters who haven't yet received their ballots can still receive replacement voting papers up until Saturday afternoon at their election offices. One thing to keep in mind is that anyone who has requested an absentee ballot may only vote by mail; they can no longer cast their vote in person at the polling station on election day.
Those with questions about the elections can reach out to the hotline, available at the service number 115 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on both Saturday and Sunday. The election commissioner himself emphasized the importance of this service for potential voters.
