Tag: Berlin Wiki
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Berlin Wiki: From Postal Voting to the Ballot Box
How Does Postal Voting Work? In Germany, voters can choose to vote by post instead of going to a polling station on election day. Information on how to apply for postal voting can be found in the voter notification that eligible voters receive in the weeks before the election. Depending on the municipality, voter notifications may also include a QR code…
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Berlin Wiki: The Overlooked Election — BVV and Local Democratic Participation
How Does the BVV Election Work? On September 20, Berlin goes to the polls. On that day, the election to the House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus) will take place, along with the elections to the District Council Assemblies (Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen, BVV). Berlin is divided into twelve districts, each of which elects its own District Council Assembly. This is the elected representative body of…
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Berlin Wiki: Who Makes Decisions in the Districts?
What Does a District Office Do? A Berlin district office (Bezirksamt) manages the administration of one of Berlin’s twelve districts and serves as the district’s political leadership. It consists of the district mayor and five district councillors (Bezirksstadträte), who are elected by the district assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung, BVV). The district office implements adopted laws and policies. Like the Senate, the district office…
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Berlin Wiki: How Berlin’s Government Works
What Makes Berlin’s Governing Mayor Special? Whoever holds the office of Governing Mayor is both the head of government and the ceremonial head of the city of Berlin. The House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus) votes on who will hold the position. There has even been a case in which someone won the election without being their party’s lead candidate. Since Berlin is…
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Berlin Wiki: How Do the First and Second Vote Work?
What Does the First Vote Decide? The article looks at how voters elect candidates and parties in Bundestag elections and elections to the Berlin House of Representatives, and how seats in parliament are distributed through proportional representation. In Bundestag elections or elections to the House of Representatives, voters cast both a first vote and a second vote. With the first vote,…
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Berlin Wiki: Parties, Direct Mandates and the Five-Percent Threshold
What Is a Political Party? A political party is an association of citizens regulated by the German Federal Party Law. Political parties aim to influence political decision-making at federal or state level over a longer period of time and may represent voters in state parliaments or in the Bundestag. First of all, a party needs members. In addition, the party itself…
WahlheYmat Writes Newsletter
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