Tick your box at home instead of at the polling station: Many Bavarians take advantage of this opportunity. In the state election five years ago, almost 40 percent of those who took part in the election, in the federal election two years ago – still in the corona pandemic – even 62.4 percent. All eligible voters can vote by post, and they do not have to have or give any particular reason for doing so. For them, this has the advantage that they can look at the ballot papers and think about it at home whenever it suits them. However, it also has the disadvantage that letters can get lost and there is a risk of doing something wrong.
On October 8, 2023, a new state parliament and the seven district assemblies will be elected in Bavaria. What do you have to consider if you want to vote by post? An overview.
How do I get the postal voting documents?
The municipalities and cities are responsible for organizing the election, and you have to apply for a postal vote there. Between August 28 and September 17, 2023, the town halls will send the voting notification to every citizen. The corresponding application can be found on the reverse side. The easiest way is to fill it out and send it to the town hall or drop it off there (then you can vote on the spot if you want).
Many municipalities also offer the application as an online service – an overview can be found here. The city of Munich, for example, has its own Internet portal (www.briefwahl-muenchen.de) unlocked. Postal voting documents can also be requested in writing from the respective town hall without a special form – then you have to give your name, date of birth and address. Anyone who wants the documents to be sent to an address other than their own, for example because they have been away for a long time, must of course also state this address.
When can I vote by post?
In theory, you can always apply for the documents, including now. However, as the ballot papers will not be printed until the beginning of September, they can only then be sent to the voters. And the municipalities ask that you only request the postal voting documents – i.e. when you have received the election notification.
So many slips of paper and envelopes – how do I choose correctly?
Now it’s getting a bit complicated and error-prone, because the packet of postal voting documents contains (in addition to brief instructions) a ballot paper, three envelopes and four ballot papers. The two white ones are for the state elections: a small one for the election of the direct candidate with the first vote and a large one with the lists of the parties for the second vote. Similarly, in blue, the two slips of paper for the election of the district council. On all of these pieces of paper you tick the preferred candidates and then put the two white pieces of paper in the white envelope and the two blue ones in the blue envelope. You have to sign on the ballot paper that you actually voted yourself. You put this in the big red envelope – together with the white and the blue envelope. And then you give all of this to the post office (you don’t have to postage) or hand it in at the town hall. If you don’t put the ballot papers in the right envelopes or don’t sign them, you risk having your votes not counted.
Special case local elections: Mayors will also be elected in around 20 towns and communities on October 8th, and a new district administrator will also be elected in the districts of Lichtenfels and Regen. These elections are independent of the district and state elections. That’s why the citizens there get a second voting notification for this municipal election – and the postal voting documents also separately.
When do I have to get this done at the latest?
The most important thing is that the letter with the polling card and ballot papers must be in the town hall or polling office no later than 6 p.m. on election day, i.e. October 8th. Anything later will not be considered. Therefore: send in time. Anyone who fails to do so or wants to be on the safe side can drop their documents in the mailbox at City Hall or hand them in personally.
If you are abroad before the election, you can also have the postal voting documents sent there. However, he should bear in mind that it can take a long time to send it back to the local town hall.
Can I still vote at the polling station even though I have applied for postal voting?
If you haven’t sent the ballot papers back yet, yes. You have to take the ballot paper you received with you to the polling station.
What do I do if I have not received a voting notification?
Anyone who has not received the corresponding card by September 17, but wants to vote, should quickly ask the electoral office in their municipality or city why they are not on the voters’ register. Maybe an error happened. This could then be corrected by September 22nd.
What do I do if I suddenly become ill or have to travel?
The polling card, which you can use to vote by post or vote in a polling station other than the one actually responsible, can be applied for by Friday, October 6th at 3 p.m. In special cases, such as illness, this can also be done on the day of the election itself – for example by sending an acquaintance to the election office with a power of attorney. In this case, it is best to contact your local town hall.
Can someone help me vote by post?
Basically yes. However, there are a few things to note:
Apply for postal voting: You can help other people to apply. However, it must always be signed by the voter himself (of course, this is not possible online). Another person may only sign it if the person eligible to vote has given them a special power of attorney to do so. A general power of attorney or even a guardian is not enough for this.
Collect postal voting documents: Friends, neighbors or relatives can do this if they are authorized to do so. In the pre-printed postal voting application on the back of the voting notification, for example, there is a corresponding field.
Choose: Help is also possible here – for example for people who see poorly. You can read the ballot paper to them and tick the box, but only if the voter has declared his or her will. So the helper is not allowed to say who to choose, he is of course not allowed to secretly tick someone else and he is not allowed to tell anyone about this decision. And at the end of the day, the helper has to swear “on oath” that he has kept to all of this on the ballot paper.
How secure is postal voting?
Attempts to manipulate local elections have been reported in recent years, but overall experts believe the risk that postal voting could be used for major fraud is low.
However, voting by mail is more complicated than in a polling station – because of the various slips of paper and envelopes, you can do more wrong. In the 2018 state election, the proportion of invalid votes among postal voters was smaller than among so-called ballot box voters. But if someone puts their ballots in the wrong envelope, they are not counted as invalid, but as not submitted at all – and that distorts the picture. And how many ballot letters get lost in the mail is unknown. So if you want to be absolutely sure that your vote will be counted, you should go to your polling station on October 8th.