Two weeks prior to the voting day - The increase in the method of electing Members of the European Parliament through written correspondence is becoming prominent.
The surge in postal voting continues in Saxony for the approaching state election. Two weeks prior to the vote, numerous postal vote applications have already been distributed in the prominent cities of Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz. Local administrations have noticed an upward trajectory in postal voting for various elections throughout the years. A new Saxon parliament will be chosen on September 1.
Leipzig, with an estimated population of around 78,000 individuals, has already distributed and received postal vote documents within the past two weeks, the city revealed. The footfall at the postal voting station is already noticeably higher than during the local election on June 9. Approximately 500,000 voting notifications have been sent out for the state election in the trade fair city.
The trend towards postal voting is also on the rise elsewhere.
In the state capital Dresden, roughly 420,000 people are entitled to vote. So far, around 105,000 applications for postal vote and voting documents have been submitted. During the previous state election in 2019, approximately 123,000 Dresden residents applied for postal vote documents - that was 50,000 more applications than in the 2014 election. The trend for postal voting is generally on the rise.
There is also a rising trend towards postal voting in Chemnitz. In the 2014 state election, 24,000 postal voters were accounted for. In 2019, it was 37,000. As of August 9, 26,830 postal votes have been issued for this year's election.
Postal voting is essentially designed for individuals who are unable to visit the polling station on election day due to health issues or other reasons. The growing popularity is also the subject of critical discussion - for instance, since it's not guaranteed that people can cast their vote freely and without influence from others when voting by post.
The increase in postal voting applications in Dresden is indicative of the approaching Election to the Landtag, with over 105,000 applications already submitted. Despite the surge in postal voting, there are concerns about the potential for influence on voters when casting their ballots by mail.
The Election to the Landtag in Chemnitz also saw an uptick in postal voting, with 37,000 postal voters in 2019 compared to only 24,000 in 2014. The rising trend in postal voting is a subject of ongoing debate, as concerns about voter influence by mail persist.
