Elections in Germany: first vote, second vote and the 5% threshold

In a German federal election you have two votes. With the first vote (Erststimme) you choose a person to represent your constituency; with the second vote (Zweitstimme) you choose a party. The second vote matters more, because it decides how many of the Bundestag's 630 seats each party gets. Only parties that win at least 5% of the second votes – or win three constituencies – get into parliament. All German citizens aged 18 or over can vote, normally every four years.

The five electoral principles

Article 38 of the Basic Law says members of the Bundestag are elected in “general, direct, free, equal and secret elections”. In the test, “free”, “equal” and “secret” come up most often.

Voting in Germany is a right, not an obligation (question 5 tests what “free” means). Official results and dates are published by the Federal Returning Officer. Voting on someone else's behalf is forbidden – a husband may not vote for his wife, for example. Only people who need help, for instance because of a disability, may bring an assistant.

First vote and second vote

The federal ballot paper has two columns:

That is why the German system is described as a combination of majority and proportional representation (question 120). The more second votes a party receives, the more seats it gets in parliament (question 93). You can give your two votes to different parties (vote splitting).

Germany is divided into 299 constituencies (Wahlkreise). Since the 2023 electoral reform, first applied at the federal election on 23 February 2025, the Bundestag has a fixed 630 seats; overhang and balancing seats no longer exist. As a result, a candidate who wins a constituency only takes the seat if the party's second votes cover it (Zweitstimmendeckung). That makes the second vote even more important.

The 5% threshold and the three-seat rule

A party only gets seats in the Bundestag if it wins at least 5% of the second votes nationwide (question 117). This 5% threshold (Fünf-Prozent-Hürde) exists because lots of small parties make it harder to form a government – a lesson from the Weimar Republic. State elections also have a 5% threshold.

At federal level there are two exceptions:

• Three-seat rule (Grundmandatsklausel): a party that wins at least three constituencies gets seats in line with its second-vote share even if it is below 5%. The 2023 reform tried to abolish this rule, but on 30 July 2024 the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that it continues to apply until new legislation is passed.
• National minorities: parties of national minorities, such as the Südschleswigscher Wählerverband (SSW) of the Danish minority, are exempt from the 5% threshold.

Who can vote – and who can stand?

In federal elections, all German citizens aged at least 18 can vote. The right to vote is called aktives Wahlrecht; the right to stand for election is passives Wahlrecht – for the Bundestag also from 18.

Without German citizenship:

• EU citizens living in Germany can vote in local elections and – once entered on the electoral register – in European elections in Germany, but not in federal or state elections.
• Non-EU nationals have no right to vote in Germany, not even in local elections. Many cities do, however, have an advisory council for residents with a migration background (Integrationsrat or Ausländerbeirat) that they can elect.

Naturalisation gives you full voting rights. What else to sort out afterwards is covered in Naturalised – what now?

Which elections are there?

The Federal President is not elected by the people but by the Federal Convention, and the Chancellor is elected by the Bundestag – see Germany's political system explained simply.

In state elections, 16-year-olds can already vote in Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, for example. The voting age for local elections is one of the state questions in 15 states – only Bremen's question asks about its state parliament (Bürgerschaft) election instead (from 16):

• From 16: Baden-Württemberg, Berlin (district assemblies), Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg (district assemblies), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thüringen.
• From 18: Bayern, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen.

In many states you get several votes in local elections and can stack them on one candidate (kumulieren) or spread them across candidates from different lists (panaschieren). Which state your three state questions come from depends on where you live, so set your federal state in the app and practise its ten questions. For an overview of all states, see Germany's 16 federal states and their capitals.

How voting works

1. Polling card: a few weeks before the election your municipality sends you a polling card (Wahlbenachrichtigung) (question 126). It tells you where your polling station is. If you are registered as a resident in Germany, you are added to the electoral register automatically.
2. Postal vote (optional): you can vote by post without giving a reason. Apply to your municipality, often online or with the form on the polling card. Your ballot must arrive by 6 pm on election day.
3. Election day: voting takes place on a Sunday; for federal elections polling stations are open from 8 am to 6 pm. Bring your ID card or passport, and ideally the polling card.
4. Polling booth: you mark your ballot alone, fold it and put it in the ballot box.
5. Count: after 6 pm, volunteer election workers (Wahlhelfer) count the votes in public. German citizens must take on this role if they are called upon (question 282); you can only refuse for good reason.

After the election: parties, parliamentary groups, coalitions

• Parties help shape political opinion (Art. 21 of the Basic Law). There are several so that citizens' different views are represented.
• Parliamentary group (Fraktion): the members of parliament from one party, working together. The CDU and CSU form a joint group in the Bundestag.
• Coalition (Koalition): if no party has a majority on its own, several parties team up to form a government. A “traffic light coalition” (Ampelkoalition), for example, is a government of the SPD, FDP and Greens – named after the party colours red, yellow and green.
• Opposition: all members of parliament who do not belong to the governing parties. The opposition scrutinises the government.

The party with the most votes wins the election, but only a party or coalition with a majority in the Bundestag can govern. If members switch parliamentary groups, a government can lose its majority. Know these party names: CDU (Christian Democratic Union), CSU (Christian Social Union, only in Bavaria), SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) and FDP (Free Democratic Party). Since the 2025 federal election, the CDU/CSU and the AfD have been the two largest groups (question 73).