Bundestag election in the flood area: Hope for the election bus


Status: 08/19/2021 4:15 a.m.

Destroyed polling stations, too few election workers and addresses that no longer exist: the flood in Rhineland-Palatinate also posed problems for the organization of the federal elections. Voting buses and tents should help.

In the constituency of Ahrweiler, 198 in the Bundestag election in September, many things will be different than usual. Because in the community of Altenahr and in the city of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, the structures that are important for an election are currently lacking. Many of the usual polling stations are not available for voting after the flood because buildings are too badly damaged or are being used for other purposes, for example for helpers.

Voting notifications cannot be delivered everywhere, also because people can no longer be reached at their previous address. And those responsible on site are currently busy with the reconstruction of their communities and the suffering on the ground, do not have the staff to organize an election under difficult conditions.

Concept worked out

The Federal Returning Officer is aware of the difficult initial situation: “Of course, the municipalities will not be left alone with the election,” emphasizes Georg Thiel. The district election management and the state election management also organized personal support together with the federal returning officer.

In the past few weeks, the Rhineland-Palatinate state returning officer Marcel Hürter, in consultation with the federal returning officer and the municipalities concerned, has developed a concept on how voting can be ensured despite everything. “The Bundestag election will also be carried out legally and properly in the affected communities,” explains Hürter.

Looking for locations

It is planned to set up tents of the THW as makeshift polling stations. For example, there should be two such polling stations in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler on election day in September, and one in the community of Altenahr. The exact location search is still in progress. Voluntary election workers will probably come from the neighboring municipalities, as the people in the flood areas need all their time, for example, for clean-up work.

There will also be mobile polling stations in the floodplains before the actual election day. “It is our aim to make voting in the disaster areas as easy as possible,” emphasizes state returning officer Hürter. Six buses are to be used for this purpose, which will stop for three hours a total of 80 times in the two weeks before the election. Eligible voters can then cast their votes directly on these buses, for example if they simply no longer have a habitable house to which the postal voting documents could be sent.

Posters and advertisements

The staff for the elective buses is to come from the Rhineland-Palatinate University of Public Administration and the Landesbetrieb Landesforsten, among others. Where exactly the buses will be is still open. “They must be central and easily accessible, but must not, for example, hinder the clean-up work,” explains the regional returning officer.

Because of the destroyed infrastructure in the flood areas, not all eligible voters will receive a voting notification. Voting is also possible without notification of the election, emphasize both the federal and state election officers. In order to inform the people how and where they can cast their vote in the flood disaster areas, the organizers have to go special ways. Federal Returning Officer Thiel announces information posters and advertisements in the media.

Appeal to the electorate

In addition, according to the regional returning officer, it is planned to distribute information sheets in the affected municipalities. State Returning Officer Hürter calls on people to cast their vote in September: “I appeal to those eligible to vote in the disaster area to make use of the right to vote even in these difficult times.”

Of course, the people in the worst hit areas currently have other concerns than the choice, Federal Returning Officer Thiel is aware of that. “Nevertheless, it is important and indispensable in a democracy that every citizen has the opportunity to vote.” Ensuring this is his job as federal returning officer and the job of the other electoral bodies.



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