Elections
Elections and democracy are closely linked. Without regular elections, there is no democracy. Those who vote participate in the political decision-making process.
The right to vote is enshrined in the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. According to Article 20 of the Basic Law, all state authority emanates from the people and is exercised in elections and referendums and through special organs of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
Saxony-Anhalt state election 2026
Announcements by the district returning officer
On 6 September 2026, elections will be held for the 9th state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. This was decided by the state parliament on 13 May 2025.
- Notice from the Joint District Returning Officer for the constituencies: 18 – Aschersleben, 19 – Staßfurt, 20 – Schönebeck and 21 – Bernburg – KWL-LT-03/2026 dated 27 July 2026
- Notice from the Joint District Returning Officer for the constituencies: 18 – Aschersleben, 19 – Staßfurt, 20 – Schönebeck and 21 – Bernburg – KWL-LT-02/2026 dated 29 June 2026
- Notice from the Joint District Returning Officer for the constituencies: 18 – Aschersleben, 19 – Staßfurt, 20 – Schönebeck and 21 – Bernburg – Composition of the Joint District Electoral Committee – KWL-LT-01/2026 of 18 February 2026
- Resolution on the 2026 state election
- Notice from the joint district returning officer for the constituencies: 18 – Aschersleben, 19 – Staßfurt, 20 – Schönebeck and 21 – Bernburg, submission of nominations, etc. – KWL-LT-01/2025 dated 24 November 2025
- Announcement by the Joint District Returning Officer for the constituencies: 18 – Aschersleben, 19 – Staßfurt, 20 – Schönebeck and 21 – Bernburg, Formation of the District Electoral Committee – KWL-LT-02/2025 dated 24 November 2025
Forms for nominating candidates for district elections
Press release from the office of the state returning officer
Electoral principles
Elections in Germany are universal, direct, free, equal and secret.
- General means that every citizen can vote.
- Directly means that the voters elect the candidates without the intermediary of electoral commissioners.
- Free means that no pressure may be exerted on the voters.
- Equal means that each vote carries the same weight.
- Secret means that nobody can know who has voted and how - unless the voter makes this known themselves.
A distinction is made between active and passive voting rights:
- The right to vote is the right to actively participate in elections by casting a vote.
- Passive suffrage (eligibility) refers to the right of a person to be elected.