Early election date? That could lead to problems

Candidate lists, polling stations, postal voting documents – there is a lot to prepare for the upcoming federal election. The date has not yet been set, but several voices warn against too much haste. The opposition is particularly in a hurry.

When will there be elections in Germany? For Chancellor Olaf Scholz it could take until spring, the opposition wants to go to the polls as quickly as possible. On Friday, Scholz signaled that he would be ready to talk at the meeting.

Federal Returning Officer Ruth Brand recently warned against excessive haste in a letter to the Chancellor. For organizational reasons, a new election in January or February would be risky. Dates and deadlines that would fall during the Christmas period or between years could lead to problems, for example at the municipality level. She warned that it could happen that election proposals would not be accepted. The proper preparation and implementation of the election is essential for citizens’ trust in democracy.

Warning of problems with early appointments

The concerns of the Federal Returning Officer should be taken seriously, said the parliamentary managing director of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Katja Mast, in Deutschlandfunk. If you hold an appointment in January, you run the risk of having to repeat the election later.

Political scientist Thorsten Faas from the Free University of Berlin also pointed out possible problems with a quick new election date: “We are experiencing times that are very strongly influenced by populist forces that question the fair and smooth functioning of elections.” According to the political scientist, this should not be encouraged by possible problems if elections are carried out too quickly.

The general manager of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, also sees more time until the election as positive. He pointed out in the Germany editorial network that longer lead times made it easier to organize the elections. Organizing elections always involves effort for cities.

Municipalities ready for quick new elections

In contrast, the municipalities appeared open to an early election date. The preparations would be easier the earlier the possible election date is known, according to the editorial network Germany in a statement from the German Association of Cities and Municipalities. The organizational preparations included, among other things, the search for suitable rooms for polling stations, the search for poll workers and the creation and printing of voting documents.

The declaration states that the mail-in voting documents and election notifications must be sent out well in advance of the election date. Here, the municipalities are dependent on the parties to put forward candidates and submit election proposals.

Election officials meet on Monday

Election proposals for the parties’ constituencies and state lists must be submitted in writing no later than the 69th day before the election. The Federal Election Committee must then decide whether to approve the nominations. If Scholz were to ask the vote of confidence next week, the parties would only have about a week to draw up their first-vote candidates and their electoral lists in all federal states. The problems could be even greater for smaller parties as they need to collect supporter signatures.

A first meeting between the federal returning officer and the state returning officers is planned for Monday. As with regular elections, there is a need for exchange, for example about new procedures following a change in the federal electoral regulations. The office of the Federal Returning Officer confirmed a corresponding report from the Germany editorial network.