In a recent interview with the German news portal “T-Online”, the Chair of the Election Observation Committee in the 20th German Bundestag, Daniela Ludwig (CSU), expressed concerns about the difficulties faced by German expatriates in casting their ballots in the upcoming federal election.
According to Ludwig, the main issue lies in the fact that expatriates typically have to participate in the election through mail-in ballots, which can be a challenge due to the short time frame for sending in the ballots and election materials. “The special difficulties in the participation of German expatriates in this year’s federal election are, of course, obvious to me” she said. “These difficulties are rooted in the fact that, as a rule, expatriates can only participate in the election through mail-in ballots. As a result, the problem of a very short time frame for the mail-in ballot period becomes particularly acute for this group.”
Ludwig emphasized that it should be possible to hold a premature election within the time frame set by the German Constitution. “Unfortunately, it seems that, despite the efforts of the election authorities, the local municipalities and the German Foreign Office, many eligible voters abroad will likely be effectively barred from participating in the election due to the long postal delivery times to foreign countries” she said, adding that this is likely to be particularly the case for voters in non-European countries.
Ludwig also pointed out that premature elections have, so far, been an exception and that the usual Bundestag elections do not pose the same risk of excluding expatriate voters. “Organizational hurdles and the inherent risks of mail-in voting, which are always present, are also a challenge for the participation of expatriates in the election” she said, calling for further simplifications to be considered in the next legislative period.
The Chair of the Election Observation Committee also mentioned that the possibility of holding the election at German overseas missions will likely be re-examined. “Simplifying the possibilities of voting from abroad could also lead to an increase in the turnout of expatriate voters” she concluded.