The state elections in Lower Saxony will take place in October. Anyone who cannot go to the polling station on October 9th can cast their vote by post. But how do you apply for postal voting and how does it work exactly? You can find all information about postal voting at FOCUS Online.
Since the corona pandemic, more and more people have been voting by letter. This trend was evident at least in the past state elections. According to statistics, in the election in North Rhine-Westphalia on May 15, the proportion of postal votes almost doubled compared to 2017. In 2022, 47.1 percent of voters voted by post, five years earlier the proportion of postal voters was 24.8 percent.
The postal voting documents must be sent by post no later than three working days before October 9th. If the ballot letter is not available for counting by 6 p.m. on election Sunday, it will not be considered. The Ministry of the Interior recommends postal voters to request and send in documents in good time. The post does not deliver on election Sunday either. If you have forgotten to send the documents in time, there is still the possibility to put the documents in the mailbox of the responsible municipality.
Whether on the Internet, by post or in person at the postal voting office – there are various ways to get the postal voting documents for the local elections and also the integration council elections. However, voting documents cannot be requested by telephone. If the application is made by post or e-mail, an informal written application is sufficient.
If you go to the competent authority in person, the voter can also carry out the postal vote on the spot and return the documents there.
If you have applied for the voting documents, you will receive the ballot papers and the official polling card a short time later. These two documents must remain separate when returning. This ensures that the ballot paper is not associated with the person.
The voter therefore receives several envelopes for the postal vote, the correct use of which is explained in the enclosed documents. The correct return address is already printed on the envelope.
