Press release no. 18/25 of 17. Februar 2025
2025 Bundestag election: ensuring the proper conduct of the election locally
WIESBADEN – On election day, the electoral boards are responsible for ensuring the proper conduct of the voting process and for counting the votes. An electoral board has several members who check each other's work during every activity they perform. The members are obliged to perform the duties of their post with strict political impartiality. The electoral boards are trained by the municipal authorities in the proper counting of votes. The actual vote is cast in secret. All the other main steps involved in conducting the election are public and can be observed, as has been the case in all previous Bundestag elections.
The election process is public
Due to the possibility of election observation, the electoral boards are also subject to public oversight. From the time the electoral board meets in the morning of election day until the final election result is determined and established, each individual has the right to be present in the polling station and monitor the procedures. Election observers are not required to register in advance or show identification, and are free to choose which polling stations they wish to watch. Citizens do not need to verify their identity, sign up on a platform or register for a polling station for this purpose.
The postal ballots are also counted in public. On election day, individuals can be present to watch the counting, starting from the afternoon when the postal ballot board meets and first opens the envelopes containing the postal ballots; counting then takes place from 6 p.m. onwards. Election observers are permitted to take their own notes and ask short questions for clarification purposes, for example if a public announcement could not be heard properly.
Limits of election observation
As a general rule, the limits of election observation are reached when it impedes or disrupts the election process, the counting of votes and the determination of the election result. The electoral boards have the authority to remove individuals from the polling station to maintain public order. Any form of influence on the election is not permitted (such as election advertising, addressing voters about election matters, wearing political insignia or emblems, or the distribution of flyers). During the count, for example, the members of the electoral board must be able to move around the ballot counting table unobstructed. No electoral documents may be removed from, or added to, the table. Election observers do not have the right to ask the electoral board for documents or to gain access to them. For example, they are not permitted to inspect the electoral register, ask for personal data or receive information on those who voted and those who did not. Similarly, filming and photography in this context are prohibited. If the members of the electoral board feel obstructed, a safety distance may be enforced, generally of one to two meters. However, it must always be possible to observe the counting process.
On the evening of the election, it is not possible to ask the electoral board to conduct a recount, or to lodge an objection disputing the election.
Detailed information on the observation of elections is provided in the brochure issued by the Federal Returning Officer on dealing and interacting with election observers.
More information can be found on the website of the Federal Returning Officer at www.bundeswahlleiterin.de.
The Federal Returning Officer has also launched a new WhatsApp channel to inform the public about the early election to the German Bundestag on 23 February 2025. The latest information about the election procedure, important dates and deadlines, and statements correcting any misinformation are now available on the “Bundeswahlleiterin” channel. Click “Subscribe” to follow us.
Press office
tel: +49 611 75-3444
www.bundeswahlleiterin.de/contact