Repeat election: First election notifications sent out

Shortly after the turn of the year, the parties launched their campaign for the repeat Bundestag election in parts of Berlin. Posters have been advertising the candidates again since Tuesday.

On February 11, around 550,000 Berliners will be able to vote again in 455 of Berlin's 2256 electoral districts. The corresponding election documents have been sent out since Tuesday.

Application for postal voting possible since Wednesday

According to the timetable set by Stephan Bröchler, the state election officer, eligible voters will receive their documents by January 21 at the latest. Eligible voters who cannot or do not wish to cast their vote on the actual election date have been able to apply for a postal vote since Wednesday. This can be done online, by email, by fax or by post. The first postal voting documents will be sent out on Monday, January 8.

455 polling stations and 294 postal polling stations

As announced by the state election officer, a total of 548,675 Berliners are eligible to vote. Only people who were registered in an area in which the repeat election is taking place on the cut-off date of December 31, 2023 are eligible. There are 455 polling stations and 294 postal voting stations for the repeat election. Around 9000 polling assistants will be needed to conduct the election. The provisional election results are expected at around 1:30 am on February 12.

Possible shifts in Bundestag seat distribution

The repeat election is unlikely to change the overall distribution of votes in the Bundestag. Parliament currently has 736 MPs, 29 of whom come from all over Berlin. According to simulation calculations, two to three seats could be redistributed between the parties in Berlin. However, there could be surprising consequences for other federal states. After the partial rerun, the overall result of the 2021 Bundestag election will be recalculated. "There may therefore be shifts in the distribution of seats across federal states," according to information from Federal Returning Officer Ruth Brand. "This means that new seats may also be gained or lost in other federal states."