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Who May Vote in Germany
Lesson 99 set out the layers: German citizens vote in all elections, citizens of other EU countries living in Germany may vote in local and European elections, and other foreign residents have no vote at any level. In a city like Berlin, this means that a substantial share of adult residents, roughly one in five, cannot vote in elections to the Bundestag or the Berlin state parliament. Whether this should change is a recurring political debate. In 1990 the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the Basic Law ties the right to vote in state and federal elections to German citizenship, so extending it would require a constitutional amendment. Supporters of a change argue that people who live and pay taxes in a place should have a say; opponents argue that the route to the vote should be naturalization. Germany eased the rules for naturalization in 2024 and now generally allows dual citizenship. Before elections, some associations organize symbolic votes for residents without the franchise, with ballot boxes and published results that do not count officially but draw attention to the gap. German elections are always held on a Sunday, and the first projections are broadcast as soon as polling stations close at 6 p.m.