Press release no. 24/24 of 16. Mai 2024
2024 European election: Federal Returning Officer calls on citizens to vote
WIESBADEN – At a Federal Press Conference in Berlin, Federal Returning Officer Ruth Brand called on all citizens to vote in the European Parliament election on 9 June 2024. She stressed the importance of the election at this event: “Exercise your right to vote! Play your part in shaping the European Union’s policies of the next five years. Your participation is a sign of a strong, functioning democracy.” At the press conference, the Federal Returning Officer also made a targeted appeal to young people aged 16 and over, who are now entitled to vote in a nationwide election for the very first time following a decision by the German Bundestag in 2022 to lower the voting age for the European election from 18 to 16.
Roughly 1.4 million 16 and 17-year-olds eligible to vote in a nationwide election for the first time
According to data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), approximately 1.4 million people living in Germany at the end of 2023 will be 16 or 17 years on 9 June 2024 and entitled to vote in the forthcoming European election. Overall, the electorate comprises up to 5.1 million potential first-time voters who have reached voting age since the last European election in 2019.
Across all age groups, up to 64.9 million people are entitled to elect the European Parliament members from Germany. More than 350 million people in the entire European Union (EU) were eligible to vote in the last European election in 2019.
In Germany, 61.4% of the electorate cast their votes in 2019, compared with 48.1% in the preceding 2014 European election. Voter turnout also increased in the EU as a whole, rising from 42.6% in 2014 to 50.7% in the 2019 European election.
Election of the 96 European Parliament members from Germany
Voting in the election is the main way for citizens to influence European Union policies. The European Parliament is the only EU body that is elected directly by the citizens of the Member States and legitimised in this way. It decides on European legislation together with the Council of the European Union. As a consequence, its decisions also impact life and prospects in Germany. In addition, the European Parliament is involved in determining the EU budget, approves the EU Commission and must give its consent before a new Member State can be admitted to the EU.
The members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected every five years in general, direct, free and secret elections. A total of 720 members of the European Parliament will represent their Member State after the 2024 European election, including 96 MEPs from Germany.
The details of the election procedure are specified by the Member States at national level. In Germany, members are elected based on the principle of proportional representation using lists of candidates. This means that parties and other political associations draw up lists of candidates, either for an individual Land or a common list for all Länder. Voters cast one vote only for their preferred list.
In the end, each party and political association will receive the number of seats that corresponds to the votes cast for their list as a proportion of all valid votes cast in Germany. Currently, there is no restrictive clause in Germany. In the most recent European election, which was held in 2019, 14 parties and other political associations were allocated seats in the European Parliament. The party with the smallest number of votes to still win a seat received just over 240,000 votes (or roughly 0.7% of the valid votes cast).
Choosing from 34 lists in each Land, with 1,413 candidates
The ballot papers will carry 34 lists of parties and other political associations in each Land. There are a total of 1,413 candidates on the lists - more than in any other European election in Germany before.
At 34.4%, the proportion of female candidates is only slightly lower than in 2019, when women accounted for 34.7% of the candidates. Currently, 39.8% of MEPs are women.
For more data please refer to the special issue “Die Wahlbewerberinnen und Wahlbewerber aus der Bundesrepublik Deutschland”, which is available under “Publications” on the website of the Federal Returning Officer: https://www.bundeswahlleiterin.de/en/europawahlen/2024/publikationen.html
Correct and proper conduct of the election is crucial
The Federal Returning Officer ensures the correct, reliable and proper conduct of the election together with the electoral bodies at municipal and Land level. The electoral bodies are independent and neutral, and impartial in the performance of their duties. They are not bound by any instructions. Rather, they are exclusively obliged to observe the statutory provisions. On election day, roughly 675,000 volunteer election workers will additionally help ensure a smooth and correct election process.
The principle of the public nature of elections lends transparency to the conduct of the election and the establishment of the election result. As all stages of the election process are public, fully traceable and verifiable, the public can have confidence in the proper conduct of the election.
It is particularly important for the proper election process that correct and impartial information about the European election is available and easily accessible – especially in view of attempts to influence the election through the dissemination of incorrect or misleading information. The Federal Returning Officer takes a proactive approach here, offering comprehensive information on various channels. Her team monitors traditional media channels and social media, and works together with other competent authorities and agencies to counter disinformation campaigns.
The electoral bodies take additional measures to guarantee a smooth and proper election process, such as measures to ensure the security of the information technology that is used to transmit the provisional election results. The official final result is determined using the paper records of the electoral boards, which eliminates the risk of manipulation, for instance, through cyber attacks.
All measures are aimed at ensuring the correct, reliable and proper conduct of the election and safeguarding the public's trust in the election process. Both objectives are essential prerequisites for a functioning democracy.
The complete statement of the Federal Returning Officer and her team for the press conference is available from our website at www.bundeswahlleiterin.de.
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