Organization and implementation of the OB election 2023
OB election - general information
The direct election of the Lord Mayor in Frankfurt am Main will be held on Sunday, 5. March 2023. A possible run-off election will then be held, if necessary, on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The runoff election will be necessary if no candidate receives more than half of the valid votes. A second ballot will then be held between the two candidates who received the highest number of votes in the first ballot. OB then becomes the one or the one with the most valid votes.
The term of office of the Lord Mayor is six years. The inauguration must take place no later than six months after the election by the chairman of the Frankfurt City Council (§ 46 HGO).
ballot paper with candidates
A total of 21 election proposals were submitted for the upcoming OB election in due time until 26. December 2022, 18 o'clock submitted to the municipal election officer. Almost all election proposals fulfilled the formal and material requirements, so that the municipal election committee was able to admit 20 election proposals in its meeting on January 6, 2023. One election proposal could not be admitted due to a deficiency. (You can find all info HERE.)
Twelve election proposals are carried by parties and voter groups. Eight election proposals are so-called individual candidates. In total, four women (-1 compared to 2018) and 16 men (+9 compared to 2018) face the vote of the voters. The order of publication of the individual election proposals on the ballot paper is clearly regulated by law. First, the parties and electoral groups represented in the representative body of the municipality are listed according to the number of valid votes they received in the last election to the City Assembly. Then follow the other election proposals, the order of which is decided by lot. The ballot paper has thus a length of 54.6 centimeters and a width of 21 centimeters.
Election eligibility
All Germans within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law and all nationals of one of the other member states of the European Union who have reached the age of 18 on election day are eligible to vote. Lebensjahr vollst and since at least six weeks before the election day have their main residence in Frankfurt am Main.
Electoral roll
The deadline for the registration of eligible voters in the electoral roll is 22. January 2023. This is based on the data of the population register.
Elected persons who have their main residence in Frankfurt am Main on the cut-off date and meet the requirements described will be entered ex officio in the electoral roll.
Inspecting the electoral roll
The electoral roll will be open for inspection from Monday, 13. February 2023, until Friday, 17. February 2023, in the election office, postal polling station, Stiftstraße 29, 60313 Frankfurt am Main during the following opening hours for eligible voters to inspect:
Monday, 9 am to 5 pm
Tuesday, 7.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, 7.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, 7.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Preliminary voters.
The preliminary number of eligible voters is about 508.000 inhabitants. This number will still change with the compilation and updating of the electoral roll until election day on March 5, 2023.
Differentiated evaluations of the preliminary eligible voters will be published in the week following the compilation of the electoral roll by the Citizens' Office, Statistics and Elections.
Election notifications
From Thursday, 26. January 2023, the election notifications will be delivered successively by mail. These must be delivered no later than Sunday, February 12, 2023. Anyone who has not received an election notification by the end of this period, but believes to be eligible to vote, should immediately contact the election office, so as not to run the risk of not being able to exercise their right to vote.
Bring your election notification to the polls
To vote at the 376 polling stations open on Election Day (05.03.) from 8 to 18 o'clock are open, should be brought urgently the election notification. This will facilitate and speed up the process of voting. Eligible voters who have misplaced or forgotten the notification can of course still vote, provided they are registered in the electoral roll. They must identify themselves to the electoral board at the polling station with their identity card or other official identification document.
Important: The election notification is valid for both the main election on March 5, 2023 and for a possible run-off election on March 26, 2023. It will not be retained by the election board, but will be returned for a possible runoff election.
Elected voters who are in possession of a ballot may cast their vote at any polling place by presenting the ballot and an official identification document. Ballots will be mailed with the requested absentee ballot.
Polling stations
97 percent of the total 376 polling stations are accessible. The accessibility of a polling station is marked with a pictogram on the election notification. Of course, all eligible voters can also contact the election office directly on the hotline 069/212-40400. In addition, from Monday, January 16, 2023, on the website frankfurt.de/briefwahlunterlagen under the heading "Where is my polling station?" there is the possibility to determine the responsible polling station online yourself and to obtain information on accessibility.
Absentee Voting
Elected voters can apply for absentee ballots and cast their vote by mail. Expediently, the personalized QR code on the back of the election notification should be used for this purpose. Another quick option is to use the online application, which will be available from Monday, January 16, 2023, at frankfurt.de/briefwahlunterlagen. These options are used to apply for absentee ballots without personal contact. Likewise, the application on the back of the election notification can be filled out and sent by mail. Fax and e-mail are also possible, for which the surname, first name, address, as well as date of birth and, if necessary, a different mailing address are required. A telephone application, on the other hand, is not legally permissible.
It is recommended that the application be made no later than Wednesday, February 22, 2023, so that there is sufficient time for the mailing of the absentee ballot documents, as well as for the return of the election letter. In principle, an application for absentee ballots is possible until Friday, March 3, 2023, 1 pm.
Note
When applying for absentee ballots for the election on 5. March 2023 it is in principle possible to apply at the same time also postal voting documents for a possible runoff with. Further information can be found on the website frankfurt.de/briefwahl(the site will be available from Monday, 16. January 2023, unlocked).
The mailing of absentee ballots will take place from Monday, January 23, 2023.
Letter polling station
.Due to the renovation of the service building Zeil 3, combined with the relocation of the Central Citizens' Office, the postal polling station is located this time in Stiftstraße 29; near the Eschenheimer Tower.
From Monday, January 23, 2023, there is the possibility of personal absentee ballot application. There, during opening hours, absentee ballots can be applied for and taken away. In addition, it is already possible to vote in the established voting booths on site and the election letter in the provided ballot box to be inserted.
Opening hours of the postal voting station in the Stiftstraße 29 from Monday, 23. January:
Monday, 9 am to 5 pm
Tuesday, 7.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, 7.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, 7.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Note
Eligible voters who wish to drop off their ballots on short notice will also have the option of using subsequent Citizens' Bureau, Statistics and Elections home mailboxes on Saturday, 4. March 2023, and on election Sunday, 5. March 2023, until 18 o'clock to use:
Election Office, Zeil 3, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
Central Citizens' Office, Lange Straße 25-27, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
Wahlamt, Briefwahllokal, Stiftstraße 29, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
Bürgeramt Höchst, Dalbergstraße 14, 65929 Frankfurt am Main
Corona protection
In order to continue to make voting at polling places as safe as possible, it is recommended that all poll workers and voters comply with the AHA+L rules. Medical protective masks will be provided to all poll workers. All eligible voters who wish to cast their ballot at the polling place may bring their own pen to mark their ballot.
Results Determination
On election night will be published in the usual way on the Internet at frankfurt.de/wahlen will publish the interim results continuously.
The first preliminary results are expected around 18:45.
Determination of the final election results
The Municipal Election Committee, at its public meeting on Thursday, 9. March 2023, 10 o'clock, the final result of the OB direct election. If not for one of the election proposals more than half of the valid votes are cast, it also determines the runoff between the two election proposals with the most votes (§ 39 para 1b HGO).
Election Analysis/Representative Election Statistics
Even on election night, the Statistics Department of the Citizen's Office, Statistics and Elections is preparing an initial analysis. This will include, in addition to the general results, a voter migration analysis and the representative election statistics. For this purpose, ballots with letter identifiers designating specific groups will be issued in nine election districts that are representative of the Frankfurt election results as a whole. Thus, while maintaining the secrecy of the ballot, insights into voting behavior by age and gender can be gained.
The results will be presented by Councilwoman O'Sullivan in a press conference on Monday morning, March 6, 2023, and will be available online after the press conference at frankfurt.de/elections, heading "Election Analyses."
Possible runoff
The municipal election committee will on Thursday, 9. March 2023, beginning at 10 a.m., to determine the final results of the March 5, 2023 election. In the event of a runoff election on March 26, 2023, all eligible voters who first become eligible to vote by that election day - for example, because they reach the age of majority, move in no later than six weeks before the runoff election, or become naturalized citizens - will be sent absentee ballots ex officio. The mailing of absentee ballots that have already been requested also begins immediately after the meeting of the Election Committee. The absentee polling station will then be open again on Thursday, March 9, 2023, from 12 noon.
