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.
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- In Hamburg, the demand for postal votes has increased significantly for both the upcoming District assembly election and the European Parliament elections, with 27% and 25% of eligible voters requesting mail-in ballots respectively.
- The State Election Commission in Hamburg encourages voters to exercise their democratic right and urges high voter turnout at the polling stations, emphasizing that "democracy is the foundation of our free society."
- Although the option to request absentee ballots ends on Friday at 6:00 PM for the European elections and election day for the District elections, replacement voting papers are still available until Saturday afternoon for those who have yet to receive their ballots.
- It's crucial to note for District election voters that postal votes must be submitted to the District Election Office by the end of election day, while anyone who has requested an absentee ballot is now only allowed to vote by mail and can no longer cast their vote in person at the polling station.
