Voting

• Who can vote?

  The member states in which the votes are being cast determine the regulations for who is eligible to vote.

  The legal voting age in Germany for the European Parliament has been lowered to 16 for the first time for the 2024 European elections.

  This means that all Germans as described in Article 116(1) of the German Basic Law and all citizens of other EU member states who are living in Germany and are at least 16 years of age on the election day are eligible to vote.

  Germans who permanently live abroad are also eligible to vote.

• How old do I have to be to vote?

  The member states in which the votes are being cast determine the regulations for who is eligible to vote.

  In Germany, for the first time, voting for the European elections will be possible starting at the age of 16.

• How many votes do I have for the European elections?

  For the European elections, each person only has one vote and therefore may only place one X on the ballot.

  Your vote goes to a political party. Individual candidates cannot stand for election in the European elections and therefore cannot be voted for.
  Your vote does not go toward a specific candidate of the party or political association but toward a list. Depending on the number of votes for the lists, each list sends a certain number of people on its list to the European Parliament according to the order of the list. Of course each party wants to get as many votes as possible because the more votes it has, the more people it can send to the European Parliament.

• Can I vote in Germany even though I am not a German citizen?

  Citizens from other EU member states who live in Germany and are registered here can participate in the European elections either in their country of origin or in Germany. However, they may only vote once and they must vote in person.

  In Germany, they must be registered on the electoral roll.

  More information on election by EU citizens from the State Returning Office for Berlin

• As a citizen of another EU member state, can I just go to the next election office or do I have to go to the embassy for my country?

  Citizens from other EU member states who live in Germany can participate only at the polling station or by mail-in ballot in Germany or in their country of origin. To vote in Germany, however, they must be registered on the election roll. If you have been registered as residing in Germany for a longer period of time, you are automatically entered on the rolls and you will receive the election documents at your registered place of residence. Otherwise you must submit a request to be entered on the election roll. The request must be received by the borough in which you reside at the latest on the 21st day before the election (= May 19, 2024).

• As a Polish citizen, can I participate in the European elections in Germany and vote for Polish parties?

  Your nationality has nothing to do with the lists for which you can vote. You vote for the lists of the country in which you are voting. For example, if you are a Polish citizen in Germany, you cannot vote for a Polish list but must cast your vote for a German list.

• I do not come from an EU member state and became a German citizen fewer than three months ago. Can I vote?

  When you became a German citizen, you also obtained the right to vote. However, to participate in the European elections, you must be on an election roll. Please contact the election office in the borough in which you reside. Here is an overview of the election offices

• What about people from Ukraine who fled to Germany? Are they permitted to vote?

  Ukraine is not an EU member state. For that reason, people from Ukraine who do not also have citizenship from an EU member state may not participate in the election.

• Are people from overseas territories of EU member states that lie outside of Europe permitted to vote? For example, can people vote in the Caribbean if their island belongs to an EU member state?

  Despite the great distance separating these locations from the European continent, they are an integral part of the EU. The EU legal regulations and agreements are applied without restrictions in these regions, and their inhabitants have access to the same rights. They may participate in the European elections.

• I also want to be a member of the European Parliament. How can I do that?

  Individuals cannot run for election in the European elections. To be elected, you must be nominated by a political party or political association for a list. You can find more information about this on the website of the Federal Returning Officer.

• I’m not going to turn 16 until the day of the election. Am I allowed to vote?

  Yes. It is essential that you have reached the age of sixteen on the day of the election. As long as your 16th birthday is the day of the election, then this requirement is fulfilled.

• Can I vote in Germany and in my country of origin?

  No. You can only participate once in the elections for the European Parliament. EU citizens living in Germany must decide whether they want to vote at their place of residence in Germany or in their country of origin.

• Are Turkish citizens permitted to participate or vote in the European elections?

  Because Türkiye is not an EU member state, Turkish citizens are not permitted to participate in the European elections if they are not also citizens of an EU member state, e.g., if they do not also have German citizenship.

• My family has had the right to stay in Germany for many years, but we do not have an official status. Can I still vote?

  The right to stay is not linked to the right to vote for the European Parliament. If you are not a citizen of Germany or another EU member state, you cannot participate in the elections.

• Can I vote if my secondary place of residence is in Germany?

  You can also vote if your secondary place of residence is in Germany as long as you have German citizenship. As an EU citizen, however, you must have an apartment in Germany and be registered there.

• Can I vote in Germany if I work here but live in another EU country?

  All EU citizens who have an apartment in Germany or otherwise usually stay in Germany and are registered there are eligible to vote. If you only work in Germany, this is not sufficient. However, if you are a German citizen then different rules apply. Then you may vote in Germany even if you live outside of Germany.

• Can I vote even though I’m not from an EU country and I am not a German citizen?

  No. Only people who are a citizen of one of the 27 EU member states may participate in the elections.

• I have multiple citizenships. Can I vote in the European elections?

  If you are a citizen of at least one EU member state, then you are eligible to participate in the European elections in Germany.

• The week before the election I’m moving to another EU country. Where can I vote?

  The national regulations of the respective country determine who is eligible to vote, and we therefore cannot make any generalised statements about whether you will be able to vote in the country to which you are moving. Please contact the election office of the EU country to which you are moving.

• Can I vote as a German abroad?

  Germans who permanently live abroad and do not have a place of residence in Germany are still eligible to vote in Germany for the 2024 European elections. However, you will need to actively request to be included on the election roll. More information about this from the State Returning Office

• How can I vote?

  Participation in the European elections can be done in person by going to a polling station on election day or by sending in a mail-in ballot before the election.

  You will receive an election notification in good time before the election, and this notification will include information about where your polling station is located.

• To be able to vote, do I have to request to be included on the election roll or am I automatically included?

  In Berlin, only those people who are included on the election role or have a ballot paper are permitted to vote. If you are registered in Berlin and eligible to vote, then at the latest 21 days before the election (May 19, 2024), you should receive an election notification from your local election office.

  If you have not received an election notification by that time, you should immediately contact your local election office in Berlin.

• How and where do I request a mail-in ballot?

  You will be able to find information about mail-in ballots closer to the election on the website of the State Returning Office for Berlin or you will receive it with your election notification if you are included on one of the election rolls in Berlin.

• Can I cast a vote as a proxy for a family member who cannot go to the polling station on the day of the election?

  No. The European elections are personal elections. This means that only the eligible voter may cast their vote. If a family member cannot go to the polling station on the day of the election, they can request a mail-in ballot.

To the English overview

Back to the German homepage