Election workers; appointment

Without a large number of volunteer election workers, it would not be possible to hold elections and votes (European, Bundestag, state parliament, municipal elections, referendums at the state level and citizens' referendums at the municipal level). To be able to take on an electoral honorary office is therefore an honorable task for all citizens entitled to vote.

For statewide elections and referendums, between 100,000 and 150,000 volunteer election workers are needed. These are members in the election bodies (election committees or postal voting committees), which are formed in the municipalities for each voting district (polling station). Each election committee or postal voting committee usually consists of five to nine members; there are different functions (chairman, deputy, secretary and other assessors).

They have the following tasks:

• Care for the proper conduct of the election
• Verification of eligibility to vote based on the electoral roll
• Distribution of ballots
• Notification of participation in the election in the electoral roll
• Release of the ballot box for the insertion of the ballot
• Determination of the election result, which is reported to the municipal authority
• Production of a record of the conduct of the election and of the determination of the election result

Election committees must make preparations before the polling stations open at 8:00 am. Until 18:00 the polling stations are open. After that follows the counting. This can last - depending on the scope of the election - until after midnight, in the case of municipal and county elections, the count is continued as necessary on the Monday after the election.

The election committees and thus the election workers are appointed by the municipal authorities. In good time before the election or vote, they receive an appointment letter with information material. Training courses are usually held for election officers, secretaries and their deputies.

The activity as an election worker is a voluntary activity. If there are not enough volunteers, anyone who is eligible to vote can be required to take over an honorary electoral office. The assumption can be rejected only for important reason.

Important reasons include:

• urgent professional or family reasons
• illness or physical impairment
• any other important reason that prevents the eligible elector from properly exercising the office.

The decision as to whether an important reason exists shall be made by the competent election authority. The person entitled to vote is required to show.

Election assistants can be granted a refreshment allowance as an expense allowance. The amount is determined by the respective municipality.

Whoever is interested in exercising the electoral honorary office, please contact his municipality in good time before an election or vote.

Election workers must in principle be eligible to vote in the respective election; as a rule, even for supra-local (statewide) elections, only those eligible to vote in the respective municipality are appointed as election workers.

To be eligible to vote, the following requirements must be met:

• Minimum age on election day: 18 years
• in European elections (from 2024): 16 years
• in European, federal, state and district elections and referendums: in principle, for at least 3 months registration with main residence in the respective electoral area
• in municipal and county elections and referendums: Residence for at least 2 months with the focus of living relations in the electoral district
• in European elections, municipal and district elections: Germans and EU nationals (citizens of the Union)
• in federal, state and district elections and referendums: Germans