Postal voting close to election day: documents must be sent off on time

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Postal voting is still possible in the week leading up to election day in Berlin on 20 September, but time will be short.

Online applications for postal votes can be submitted until 15 September

This applies in all cases to those who have not yet applied for postal voting documents, including the ballot paper. There is no central office for this across Berlin. The districts are responsible – the relevant district electoral office issues the postal voting documents. The addresses can be found on the State Election Director’s website and on the websites of the district offices. Applications can be submitted, for example, by post, online via the State Election Director’s website, by email or in person at a postal voting office in the district. There is also a postal voting application form on the back of the polling card – the postal voting documents can be requested using a QR code. The online and QR code options are only available until Tuesday (15 September).

Documents must be received in good time

According to the State Electoral Office, the crucial point in all cases is that postal voting documents must have reached the relevant district electoral office by 6.00 pm on election Sunday at the latest. If they arrive after that time, they will not be taken into account in the count. 

Postal voting is available at short notice at the postal voting centre

According to the State Electoral Commission, the pack includes a polling card and the official ballot papers, a white ballot paper envelope, a red postal vote envelope and a leaflet on postal voting. Elections to the district councils are being held at the same time as the House of Representatives – there is a separate ballot paper for each election. As a general rule, the State Electoral Office recommends: “Please allow at least three working days for the return of your postal voting documents.” It also advises that anyone wishing to apply for postal voting documents at short notice should visit a postal voting centre, which will remain open until 3 pm on Friday (18 September). The postal voting documents can be collected there. Voters are also able to complete them on the spot and cast their vote in this way.

State Election Director: "Make sure you apply for a postal vote in good time"

"If a voter insists on receiving their ballot papers by post even shortly before polling day, the relevant electoral office will comply with this request," said State Election Director Stephan Bröchler. "The risk associated with postal delivery is generally borne by the voter. I therefore advise people to take the initiative and apply for postal voting documents in good time." The proportion of postal voters has risen significantly overall over the past ten years. According to State Election Director Bröchler, it stood at 44.5 percent in the 2023 House of Representatives election. He believes that a figure of around 45 percent is realistic this time around as well. Bröchler himself is a staunch supporter of voting in person and always casts his vote at a polling station.

More and more Berliners are voting by post

According to the State Electoral Office, 765,978 postal voting forms have been issued to date (as of Thursday), enabling voters to cast their ballots by post. This represents 27.9 percent of the total. At the same stage in the run-up to the 2023 House of Representatives election, the figure stood at 723,275 (26.4 percent). Around 2.5 million Berliners are eligible to vote in the House of Representatives election on 20 September. For the elections to the district councils, the figure is around 2.75 million, as EU citizens without German nationality are also permitted to vote in these elections.