{"id":2618,"date":"2026-08-14T08:44:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T06:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/the-german-electoral-system\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T09:15:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:15:20","slug":"the-german-electoral-system","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/the-german-electoral-system\/","title":{"rendered":"The German Electoral System"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How it works:<\/h1>\n

The German Electoral System<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Your vote counts! A brief overview of elections on Norderney, in Lower Saxony, and at the federal level. <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Norderney is our shared home. To ensure you know how to get involved politically, we briefly explain here how voting works in Germany. The most important point first: In the upcoming local elections, all EU citizens living here are also eligible to vote! <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Local Level<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n\n

The Local Election<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
For German & EU Citizens<\/h5><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Who is eligible to vote?<\/h3>\n

From age 16. You must be a German citizen or an EU citizen and have lived on Norderney for at least 3 months. <\/p>\n

What is being elected?<\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Norderney City Council<\/strong> <\/span>(topics such as housing, tourism, childcare) and the <\/span>District Council<\/strong> <\/span>in the district of Aurich.<\/p>\n

How do you vote?<\/h3>\n

You have <\/span>3 votes<\/strong> <\/span>per ballot paper. You can: <\/p>\n

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  • Give all 3 votes to one candidate.<\/li>\n
  • Distribute the votes among different candidates.<\/li>\n
  • Give all your votes to one party.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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    State Level<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n\n

    The State Election<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
    Only for German citizens<\/h5><\/div><\/div>\n\n

    Who is eligible to vote?<\/h3>\n

    From age 18. You must hold German citizenship and have lived in Lower Saxony for at least 3 months. <\/p>\n

    What is being elected?<\/h3>\n

    The State Parliament<\/strong> in Hanover.<\/p>\n

    How do you vote?<\/h3>\n

    You have <\/span>3 votes<\/strong> <\/span>per ballot paper. You can: <\/p>\n

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    • Give all 3 votes to one candidate.<\/li>\n
    • Distribute the votes among different candidates.<\/li>\n
    • Give all your votes to one party.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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      Federal Level<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n\n

      The Federal Election<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
      Only for German citizens<\/h5><\/div><\/div>\n\n

      Who is eligible to vote?<\/h3>\n

      From age 18. You must hold German citizenship. <\/span><\/p>\n

      What is being elected?<\/h3>\n

      The <\/span>Bundestag in Berlin<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

      How do you vote?<\/h3>\n

      Just like in the state election, you have <\/span>2 votes<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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      • First vote:<\/strong> <\/span>Direct candidate.<\/li>\n
      • Second vote:<\/strong> <\/span>Party.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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        Why are EU citizens allowed to vote in local elections?<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
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        Politics begins at your own front door. Since decisions in the Norderney City Council directly affect your daily life\u2014from childcare places to road construction projects and local bylaws\u2014the European Union has anchored a clear principle: <\/span>Anyone who lives, works, and pays taxes somewhere should also be allowed to help make decisions locally.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

        How does registration work for EU citizens?<\/strong><\/p>\n

        If you are an EU citizen and have had your primary residence registered on Norderney for at least 3 months, you will be <\/span>automatically<\/strong> included in the electoral roll. You do not need to register separately for the local election. The voter notification will arrive automatically by mail. The only important thing is that you are properly registered with the Norderney Citizens' Registration Office.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        How and where can you vote?<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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        At the polling station<\/h4>

        Go to the polling station listed on your notification on election day. Bring your ID and the notification with you. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        By mail-in ballot<\/h4>

        Simply apply for a mail-in ballot in advance using your voter notification and vote conveniently from home.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the election<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

        Do I have to use all my votes?<\/h3>\n

        No. In the local election, you may make a <\/span>maximum of 3 crosses<\/strong> <\/span>; for the state and federal elections, <\/span>a maximum of 2<\/strong>. Making more crosses will make the ballot invalid! <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

        What do I do if I have lost my voter notification?<\/h3>\n

        No problem, you can still vote! As long as you are on the electoral roll, your ID card is sufficient at your polling station on Norderney on election day. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

        What do I do if I have lost my voter notification?<\/h3>\n

        No problem, you can still vote! As long as you are on the electoral roll, your ID card is sufficient at your polling station on Norderney on election day. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

        Can I also run for office myself as an EU citizen?<\/h3>\n

        Yes! In local elections, you have not only the right to vote, but also the right to stand for election. You could therefore run for the City Council yourself. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2618","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2618"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619,"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2618\/revisions\/2619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}