Germany
Europe · de
Federal parliamentary republic; the Bundestag is elected by mixed-member proportional representation, combining constituency and party-list seats, with paper ballots counted by hand.
Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026
Germany's franchise was universal for men from 1871 and extended to women in 1918, then extinguished entirely between 1933 and 1945. The Basic Law of 1949 rebuilt elections around mixed-member proportional representation, hand-counted paper ballots and an independent Federal Returning Officer. Germany is one of very few countries to have ruled out electronic voting judicially: in 2009 the Constitutional Court held that any citizen must be able to check the essential steps of an election without specialist knowledge.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 18 and over
- Voter registration
- Automatic
- Identification
- Any identity document
- Compulsory voting
- No
- Postal voting
- Available to all
- Early voting
- Not available
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Restricted
Voters are entered on the roll automatically from the residents' register and receive a polling notification by post. Postal voting has needed no stated reason since 2008 and now accounts for close to half of all votes cast. Germans living abroad must apply to be entered on a roll and satisfy a past-residence condition.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1871Expansion
Universal male suffrage applied to elections for the Reichstag from the founding of the empire.
- 1918Expansion
Women were enfranchised and voted for the first time in January 1919, for the National Assembly.
- 1933Restriction
Free elections ended under Nazi rule and did not return until after the war.
- 1949Expansion
The Basic Law re-established democratic elections in the Federal Republic, and the first Bundestag was elected.
- 1957Reform
Postal voting was introduced.
- 1970Expansion
The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.
- 1990Expansion
Reunification brought the first all-German federal election since before the war.
- 2009Reform
The Federal Constitutional Court ruled the electronic voting machines then in use unconstitutional, because the count must be verifiable by any citizen without technical expertise.
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Paper ballots
- Post-election audit
- Judicial challenge only
- Election administration
- Independent commission
- Domestic observers
- Yes
- International observers
- Yes
Every vote is cast on paper and counted by hand in public — the count is open to anyone who wants to watch it. Scrutiny of results runs through the Bundestag's review procedure and ultimately the Federal Constitutional Court. Electronic voting machines have been off the table since the Court's 2009 ruling.
Worth knowing
- A 2009 Constitutional Court ruling effectively ended electronic voting in Germany: the essential steps of an election must be checkable by any citizen, without specialist knowledge.
- Nearly half the votes in the 2021 federal election were cast by post, a channel that has required no stated reason since 2008.
Elections in the database
People
- Party leaderAlice WeidelParty leader, Germany
- CandidateAnnalena BaerbockChancellor candidate, Germany
- CandidateArmin LaschetChancellor candidate, Germany
- Party leaderChristian LindnerParty leader, Germany
- Head of governmentOlaf ScholzFederal Chancellor of Germany (2021–2025)
Sources
- Elections in Germany — election observation reports— OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
- Die Bundeswahlleiterin — federal election administration— Die Bundeswahlleiterin
- Voter Turnout Database— International IDEA