When local elections are held in Hesse on 14 March 2021, this will of course also proceed with appropriate hygiene concepts. Because people should be able to be sure that their voting can proceed without health risks. "There is no reason to refrain from exercising the right to vote for fear of infection," affirmed City Councillor Jan Schneider, who is responsible for elections, during the presentation on the poster campaign "Frankfurt votes safely" (read more HERE).
That everything is being done to make sure the elections go off safely is clear at this difficult time. But who or what actually gets elected? And what was panashic and cumulative again? Until when can I apply for an absentee ballot? And what do I need to bring to the polling station to vote? Here are a few important answers at a glance:
What/Who gets elected?
Three elections will take place in Frankfurt on 14.03.2021: Elected are the City Council and the 16 local councils, as well as the Municipal Foreigners and Foreigners Representation (KAV).
For the City Council, the highest decision-making and decision-making body of the city, 93 city councillors are to be elected.
The local councils are responsible for the districts belonging to these local districts in 16 different districts of the city. How many local councils are represented in the respective districts depends in each case on the number of inhabitants living there. They take an important role in that they are direct intermediaries to the city council.
The Kommunale Ausländer- und Ausländerinnenvertretung (KAV) looks after the interests of the foreign population in the municipality. In Frankfurt, the number of members is 37.
Voting in the polling station
The focus here this year is of course on the consistent implementation of a safe hygiene concept. There are to be floor markings and hygiene dispensers. In addition, keeping your distance and wearing a mouth/nose guard is of course a must. Voting can be done from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm on election day. You can find out which polling station you need to go to on your election notification, which you should also bring with you. You should also not forget your identity card (or passport).
What should I do if I have lost my election notification? No problem: As long as you are on the electoral roll and have your ID with you, you can still vote.
Voting by postal ballot
It is expected that many voters will make use of their right to vote by postal ballot this year. To do so, you will need to apply for a ballot paper and absentee ballots. You can do this by filling out the back of your election notice and then mailing/faxing/emailing it to the Elections Office, or by sending an informal application to the Elections Office by mail/faxing/emailing your last name, first name, full address, and date of birth. If possible, the application for a postal vote should be submitted by 10.03.2021 at the latest.
You can not only vote by postal vote at home, but also at the postal polling station in the city centre or at the Bürgeramt Höchst. You have to make an appointment online or by phone. It is important that you bring your ID with you and that you wear a medical mouth/nose covering when you enter the absentee voting centre. Absentee polling stations will be open until 1 p.m.
What is cumulative and panashic voting?
You have the choice when filling out your ballot whether you cast your votes individually or in a bundle. In total you have
at the city council: 93 votes
at the local councils: respectively 19 and. 9 votes
and at the municipal representation of foreigners (KAV): 37 votes
You can distribute your votes to the candidates of one election proposal or different election proposals. This is called panaschieren. In each case up to three votes can be assigned per candidate*in. That means cumulate.
But it is also possible to mark an election proposal only in the header, without allocating the available votes to individual persons. This then results in each person in the order of the ballot proposal receiving one vote each until all votes are allocated or each person in the ballot proposal is allocated three votes. But if you want that a person does not get any of your votes, these persons can also be deleted in the election proposal.
And finally you can combine these possibilities. This means that you can mark a proposal in the header and delete candidates in this proposal, and in addition you can give up to three votes to other candidates, also in other proposals.
It is important that you do not make more crosses than you are allowed to give votes and do not give more than three votes to any candidate. If you do, some of your votes may be lost or your ballot may be counted as invalid altogether.
I didn't get an election notice. What to do?
By February 21, 2021, all eligible voters will be notified of their registration on the electoral roll via election notification. If you have not received a notification by then, the electoral roll can be inspected at the Elections and Voting Office on the Zeil from 22 February to 26 February 2021. If you are eligible to vote but are not on the electoral roll, you will still have the opportunity to have your registration completed.
We hope that we have been able to give you a little help with this overview. If you have any further questions about the local election, you can also find all further information at: https://frankfurt.de/service-und-rathaus/stadtpolitik/wahlen/kommunalwahlen-2021/allgemeine-informationen
