The 2024 European and local elections will take place on Sunday, June 9, 2024. On this day, the European Parliament, the district council, the municipal council and the local councils for the five Rastatt districts of Niederbühl, Ottersdorf, Plittersdorf, Rauental and Wintersdorf will be elected.
European elections: Who can vote?
According to the European Elections Act (Section 6 European Elections Act), all Germans within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law who, on election day
- have reached the age of 16,
- have had their main residence in Germany or the other Member States of the European Union for at least three months and
- are not excluded from the right to vote.
Homeless people who have their habitual residence in Rastatt also have the right to vote.
Anyone who is entitled to vote will receive an election notification.
District elections: Who can vote?
According to the Local Elections Act (Section 41 (3) of the Local Elections Act), all Germans within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law as well as citizens who are nationals of another member state of the European Union who, on election day
- have reached the age of 16,
- have had their main residence in the district of Rastatt for at least three months or otherwise habitually reside there and
- are not excluded from the right to vote.
Homeless people who have their habitual residence in the district also have the right to vote.
Anyone who is entitled to vote will receive an election notification.
Local council elections: Who can vote?
According to the Municipal Elections Act (Section 41 (3) of the Municipal Elections Act), all Germans within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law as well as citizens who are nationals of another member state of the European Union who, on election day
- have reached the age of 16,
- have had their main residence in Rastatt for at least three months or otherwise habitually reside in Rastatt and
- are not excluded from the right to vote.
Homeless people who have their habitual residence in Rastatt also have the right to vote.
Anyone who is entitled to vote will receive an election notification.
Local council elections: Who can vote?
According to the Local Elections Act (§ 41 Para. 3 Local Elections Act), all Germans within the meaning of Article 116 Para. 1 of the Basic Law as well as citizens who are nationals of another member state of the European Union who, on election day
- have reached the age of 16,
- have had their main residence or otherwise habitually reside in the respective locality for at least three months and
- are not excluded from the right to vote.
Homeless people who have their habitual residence in Rastatt also have the right to vote.
Anyone who is entitled to vote will receive an election notification.
How can I vote?
Voting is possible at the polling station in the constituency on election day or by postal vote.
In principle, the person entitled to vote can only vote in the polling station of the constituency in whose electoral roll he/she is entered. The polling station is indicated on the polling card. Anyone wishing to vote in a different polling station or by postal vote requires a polling card, see "How do I obtain postal voting documents?".
Candidates for the European elections - who can be elected?
Eligible for election are Germans within the meaning of Article 116 of the Basic Law and citizens of another Member State of the European Union (EU citizens) who reside in the Federal Republic of Germany prior to the admission of applications. Candidates must have reached the age of 18 on election day and must guarantee that they will at all times support the free democratic basic order as defined in the Basic Law.
Candidates for the municipal and local council elections - who can be elected?
Eligible candidates are Germans within the meaning of Article 116 of the Basic Law and nationals of another Member State of the European Union (citizens of the European Union) who reside in the Federal Republic of Germany prior to the admission of applications. Candidates must have reached the age of 16 on election day and must guarantee that they will at all times support the free democratic basic order as defined in the Basic Law.
The candidates are nominated by the parties and voter associations in election proposals. These nominations could be submitted in writing to the Chairperson of the Municipal Election Committee of the City of Rastatt, Marktplatz 1, 76437 Rastatt, from February 9, 2024 0:00 a.m., the day after the announcement of the election, until March 28, 2024 6:00 p.m.
After submission, the information in the election proposals is checked by employees of the municipal administration. The final examination and approval or rejection of the election proposals was carried out by the municipal election committee on April 9, 2024.
When will I receive the election notification?
How can I inspect the electoral roll?
The electoral roll will be available for inspection by eligible voters during general opening hours on working days from May 20, 2024 to May 24, 2024.
Place of inspection for the core city:
City of Rastatt Citizens' Office
Rooms E17+E18
Herrenstraße 15
76437 Rastatt
Place of inspection for the districts:
Niederbühl local administration
Rooms 1.1 and 1.2
Laurentiusstraße 8
76437 Rastatt-Niederbühl
Ottersdorf local administration
Wilhelmstraße 3
76437 Rastatt-Ottersdorf
Plittersdorf local administration
Room 3
Blumenstraße 2
Rastatt-Plittersdorf
Rauental local administration
Hohlgasse 3
76437 Rastatt-Rauental
Wintersdorf local administration
Room 2
Bannwaldstraße 1
76437 Rastatt-Wintersdorf
I have not received authorization to vote, what do I have to do?
If you have not received a voter's notification by 19.05.2024, you should go to the citizens' office of the city of Rastatt as soon as possible to make sure that you are on the electoral roll.
If this is not the case, you can apply for registration. You can obtain further information and forms for these applications and declarations from
Citizens' Office of the City of Rastatt
Herrenstraße 15
76437 Rastatt
For the districts:
Niederbühl local administration
Laurentiusstraße 8
76437 Rastatt-Niederbühl
Ottersdorf local administration
Wilhelmstraße 3
76437 Rastatt-Ottersdorf
Plittersdorf local administration
Blumenstraße 2
Rastatt-Plittersdorf
Rauental local administration
Hohlgasse 3
76437 Rastatt-Rauental
Wintersdorf local administration
Bannwaldstraße 1
76437 Rastatt-Wintersdorf
How do I obtain postal voting documents?
You can apply for postal voting documents for the European and local elections on 09.06.2024 in writing, electronically (e.g. by email) or in person. Telephone applications and applications by text message are not permitted.
The easiest way to apply is to use the QR code on the election notification. Most of the data for an application is already stored automatically. You only need to enter your date of birth and, if applicable, a different mailing address.
If you do not have your polling card, you can also apply for postal voting documents informally by email. In this case, you must provide your surname, first name(s), date of birth and home address (street, house number, zip code, town/city).
From 29.04.2024, we will also be offering you the option of applying for postal voting documents online via our website(https://www.rastatt.de). You must enter the data from your voter's notification in the online application form linked there. To check the data, you must also enter your constituency and voter number here. If the data does not match the electoral roll, you will receive a corresponding message.
Alternatively, you can also submit the application by post using the form on the back of the election notification.
For all application types, you have the option of entering a different postal address if you would like to receive the postal voting documents at your vacation destination, for example. In this case, a so-called "control notification" is automatically sent to the original home address with the information that postal voting documents have been sent to a different address.
The mailing of postal voting documents will begin in the week from May 6 to 10, 2024 at the earliest.
Note
The online application for a polling card and the option to use the QR code on the back of the election notification are only available until 03.06.2024, 12:00 noon. After that, it will only be possible to apply for postal voting documents via the other channels mentioned above.
What do I need to consider when voting by post?
The application should be received in good time before the election. If you submit your application in the week before the election, we recommend that you hand in your application in person at the Citizens' Office and take the postal voting documents directly with you.
The city administration accepts no responsibility for postal voting documents that are not delivered on time.
By when must the postal vote be cast?
I have lost my postal voting documents or I have not (yet) received my documents, what should I do?
Lost documents will not be replaced. If an eligible voter credibly asserts that he/she has not received the documents, new documents can be handed out until 12 noon on the day before the election (i.e. Saturday, June 8, 2024) during the normal opening hours of the citizens' office.
The same also applies in the event that you have not received any postal voting documents after more than a week despite having applied early. Please note that the mailing of postal voting documents will not begin until the week of May 6 - 10, 2024 at the earliest and that not all postal voting documents already requested can be sent out immediately, especially on the first few days.
Where is my polling station?
How is the order on the ballot paper determined?
The order of the election proposals on the ballot paper is based on the number of votes that the parties and voter associations received in the last local elections in 2019. If new parties or voter associations are added with an election proposal, they are ranked after the political groups already represented. Here, the order is then based on the receipt of the election proposal by the city administration.
European elections: How many votes do I have?
District election: How many votes do I have?
You have 12 votes to elect the persons in the individual nominations. To cast your vote, enter how many votes you would like to give to a person after their name. You can give one person up to three votes. It is also possible to enter the name of another eligible person in the blank line on the ballot paper. If you wish to vote for another eligible person from another nomination by entering their name in the blank line, you must designate them clearly so that it is unambiguously clear which person you mean. Otherwise your votes for this person will be invalid.
Local council election: How many votes do I have?
You have 40 votes and use them to elect the persons in the individual nominations. To cast your vote, enter how many votes you would like to give to a person after their name. You can give one person up to three votes. It is also possible to enter the name of another eligible person from another nomination in the blank line on the ballot paper. If you wish to vote for another person by entering their name in the blank line, you must designate them clearly enough to clearly identify the person you mean. Otherwise your votes for this person will be invalid.
Local council elections: How many votes do I have?
You have 10 votes and use them to elect the persons in the individual nominations. To cast your vote, enter how many votes you would like to give to a person after their name. You can give one person up to three votes. It is also possible to enter the name of another eligible person from another nomination in the blank line on the ballot paper. If you wish to vote for another person by entering their name in the blank line, you must designate them clearly enough to clearly identify who you mean. Otherwise, the votes cast for this person are invalid.
Are the polling stations accessible by wheelchair?
I have a visual impairment, how can I still take part in the election?
Visually impaired or blind voters can use a ballot paper template or an assistant to mark the ballot paper for the European elections.
Please contact the Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein Südbaden for a ballot paper template.
Due to the nature of the ballot papers for municipal elections (district council, municipal council, local council), it is not possible to use a ballot paper template for this purpose. Visually impaired or blind voters can use an assistant to mark the ballot paper.
European elections: Why is the top right-hand corner of the ballot paper missing?
I suddenly and unexpectedly fall ill on election day. How can I still take part in the election?
Anyone who suddenly and unexpectedly falls ill on election day can apply for a postal vote on June 9, 2024 by 3 pm. In this case, a person authorized by the sick person with a corresponding power of attorney can apply for and collect the postal voting documents for the sick person from the Citizens' Office. A medical certificate is requested.
How is the count carried out?
The votes for the European elections will be counted on June 9, 2024 from 6 pm. It will take place at the polling stations. The count is open to the public.
The vote count for the local elections will take place on June 10 and 11, 2024 from 8 a.m. onwards. It will take place on the premises of Rastatt town halls and administrative buildings. Which rooms these are will be displayed at the entrances to the buildings on the two counting days and publicly announced in advance. The counting of votes is open to the public.
On Monday, June 10, 2024, the votes for the district council election will be counted first. This will be followed by the vote count for the municipal council elections. The votes for the local council elections will be counted last.
The municipal election results determined in the electoral districts are checked and read out by the municipal election committee in the council chamber on the second floor of the historic town hall (Marktplatz 1, 76437 Rastatt) and the overall result is announced.
Where can I find the results of the European and local elections?
All results can be called up on the election results page. The results initially reflect the status of the quick reports or the recorded electoral districts; once all results have been recorded, the provisional official final result is displayed. As soon as the municipal election committee has determined the result of an election, the official final result is displayed.
Unequal district voting has been abolished. How can I now see which candidate comes from my district?
How and when can posters be put up?
This year, the city is making a total of 26 municipal election poster stands available to the parties and voter associations registered for the municipal council and local council elections. These election poster stands are distributed throughout the city and may be used for billposting from April 10, 2024.
Only posters of parties and voter associations registered for the municipal council and local council elections that relate to these elections are permitted on the municipal election poster stands.
In addition, all parties and voter associations have the option of displaying posters in public spaces (e.g. on lampposts) within the framework of the applicable regulations. Permission must be obtained from the customer service department for regulatory affairs. Posters are usually permitted in the two months preceding an election.
Permission must also be obtained from the Regulatory Affairs Customer Division for billposting with large-format posters.
Where can I find more information?
Further information on the elections can be found on the website of the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg.