Entitled to Vote in Germany  ‘Vote’ if You Can!

Almost 30% of people in Germany will not be able to vote in the general election in February 2025. Find out who is excluded from voting and why.

There is no way around the federal election at the moment. Politicians are smiling at you from election posters on every street corner and people are campaigning for their party in public spaces. "Go vote" is the motto of the hour, and politically active social media influencers never tire of spreading this slogan on their accounts.

However, not everyone is able to follow this call. There are two main requirements to vote in the Bundestag elections: a minimum age of 18 and German citizenship. Of the 83.6 million people living in Germany, around 10 million adults (in 2023) without a German passport and 14.3 million children and young people (in 2022) are excluded from voting. There is also a small group of people who are temporarily barred from voting by court order.

Bundestag elections at 18, European elections at 16?

Originally scheduled for the autumn, the early elections mean that around 400,000 17-year-olds will have to wait for their first opportunity to vote. Lowering the voting age to 16 has not been implemented because a change in the law would require a two-thirds majority, which is impossible to achieve given the current distribution of seats. Both AfD and CDU/CSU oppose voting at 16. However, 16 year olds have already been allowed to vote in the European elections in the summer of 2024.

Proponents of lowering the voting age argue that young people have too little political voice in an ageing society. Critics, on the other hand, argue that people who are not of age are not mature enough to have a say in politics, citing the fact that minors are treated differently in legal terms and that some laws are linked to the age of majority.

However, political knowledge seems to play a minor role in the 'maturity argument'. Survey results show that there is little difference in political knowledge between 16 and 18 year olds. 

No citizenship, no vote

One in four adults in Germany has a migration background. However, around ten million of these 17.1 million people are unable to vote in the Bundestag elections.  Not only people who have recently arrived in Germany are excluded from voting, but also at least 700,000 people who were born in Germany.

The campaign network WIR WÄHLEN has set itself the task of using symbolic elections to draw attention to this "democratic deficit". "Those who are affected by political decisions should have the right to vote," the alliance writes. According to them, the link between citizenship and the right to vote creates further hurdles that make political participation more difficult.

Internationally, Germany's electoral law follows a standard pattern. In most democracies, only citizens can vote in national elections. But there are exceptions: In Chile, Ecuador, Malawi, New Zealand and Uruguay, non-citizens can vote in national elections after a certain period of residence.

Will voting rights change in Germany? The debate is open - and everyone can have their say!

February 2025