Approximately two weeks prior to the voting event - The escalating trend of electing Members of the European Parliament via postal ballots is gaining traction.
The shift towards mail-in voting persists in Saxony, even for the regional election. Two weeks before the vote, thousands upon thousands of ballot papers have already been distributed in the primary cities of Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz. The municipalities have noted a rising trend towards mail-in voting in numerous elections over time. A new regional parliament will be chosen in Saxony on September 1st.
In Leipzig, approximately 78,000 individuals have requested and obtained their mail-in voting kits within the past two weeks, as announced by the city. The volume of individuals visiting the mail-in voting station is already noticeably higher than it was for the local election on June 9th, according to the city. Nearly half a million voting notifications have been dispatched for the regional election in Leipzig.
In Dresden, the state capital, around 420,000 individuals are eligible to vote. To date, over 105,000 applications for mail-in voting kits have been received. During the last regional election in 2019, around 123,000 Dresden residents requested mail-in voting kits - that was 50,000 more requests than in the 2014 election. The trend towards mail-in voting is generally rising.
There is also a rising trend towards mail-in voting in Chemnitz. In the 2014 regional election, 24,000 mail-in voters were recorded. In 2019, it was 37,000. As of August 9th, 26,830 ballot papers have been issued for this year's vote in Chemnitz.
Mail-in voting is originally intended for individuals who are unable to visit the polling station in person due to illness or other reasons on election day. The rising popularity is also a subject of critical debate - for instance, due to the fact that it cannot be ensured that individuals cast their vote freely and without external influence when voting by mail.
In Dresden, the city with over 420,000 eligible voters, a significant shift towards mail-in voting is evident. As of now, over 105,000 applications for mail-in voting kits have been received in Dresden.
During the 2019 regional election, Dresden saw a significant increase in mail-in voting requests compared to 2014, with approximately 123,000 residents requesting mail-in kits.
