Als Wahlhelfer:in melden

What do you actually do on Sundays? Do you sleep in, have a hearty breakfast and then, depending on the weather, go out into the countryside or stay at home? At least on election Sundays, you can also do something completely different. You can actively participate in the elections as an election worker and thus make an important contribution to our democracy!

The tasks of the volunteer election workers include, for example:

• Verification of eligibility to vote on the basis of the electoral roll
• Handing out the ballot papers
• Release of the ballot box for the insertion of the ballot paper
• Determination of the election result

Election workers must perform their duties impartially (e.g. they may not wear any sign indicating their own political convictions) and are obliged to maintain secrecy about matters that become known to them in the course of their official duties.

To prepare them for their work, election workers receive detailed information material and training.

Refreshment money

Election workers receive a refreshment allowance for their work. The amount of the refreshment money varies depending on the effort and responsibility. A concrete description of the refreshment allowance will be published on www.wahlen.bremen.de shortly before the respective election.

Polling assistants who are members of the election committee must themselves be eligible to vote in the relevant election.

In the elections to the Bremen Parliament and the election of the advisory councils in the area of the City of Bremen, the requirements are

• German citizenship
• Completion of the 16th year of age
• have had their main place of residence in the state of Bremen for at least three months (election to the Bremen Parliament) or in the area of the city of Bremen (election to the advisory councils)

For elections to the German Bundestag, the requirements are

• German citizenship
• Completion of the 18th year of age
• Have lived in Germany for at least 3 months or usually reside there

For elections to the European Parliament, the requirements are

• German citizenship or citizenship of a member state of the European Union
• Have reached the age of 16
• Have lived or usually reside in Germany or another member state of the European Union for at least 3 months

The work as an election assistant is voluntary. In principle, every person entitled to vote is obliged to take on voluntary work. It may only be refused for important reasons. In the following cases, for example, there is the right to refuse to act as a poll worker:

• you have reached the age of 65 on election day
• it can be credibly demonstrated that caring for the family makes it particularly difficult to exercise the office
• the office cannot be exercised due to illness, disability, urgent professional or other important reasons.

The existence of an important reason must be proven.

The following may not be appointed

• Candidates for election
• Representatives of the election proposals
• Members of other electoral bodies

Registration as an election worker can be made at the election office on a voluntary basis. You can also indicate your preferred electoral district, your preferred position on the electoral board or your wish to work with friends or family. The election office will then try to take this into account.

These options are available for registration:

• Online form at: www.wahlen.bremen.de
• e-mail to: wahlhelfer@statistik.bremen.de
• by telephone at: +49 421 361 88888

Please note that the registration is binding and the honorary office may only be refused for good cause.

A written appointment is generally only a few weeks before the election!

The Election Office may collect and process personal data (surname, first names, date of birth, address, telephone numbers, number of appointments) of eligible voters for the purpose of their appointment as election workers. The data may also be processed for future elections, unless the data subjects have objected to the processing of their data. The data subjects must be informed about the right to object.

Election of the German Bundestag and the European Parliament:

In the election of the German Bundestag and the European Parliament, there is an election committee for each electoral district, which carries out its activities on site at the polling station. It is responsible both for the election process (voting from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and for determining the election results.

As a rule, election workers must be present in the respective polling station on election day before the polling stations open in order to make preparations. During the election day, the presence usually takes place in shifts. After the polling stations have closed, the election workers must be present until all votes have been counted.

In addition, there are absentee ballot boards, which carry out their activities at a central location. They meet at noon and first decide on the admission of the ballot papers. After the polling stations have closed, they count the votes cast by absentee ballot.

Election of the Bremen Parliament, the advisory councils in the municipality of Bremen, and the Bremerhaven City Council:

In these elections, so-called ballot box election boards are deployed in the polling stations. They are responsible for supervising the voting process there. After the polling stations close at 6 p.m., they are still responsible for closing the polls. Their work is finished when the election documents have been handed over to the responsible persons.

The counting of votes is the responsibility of independent counting boards. They meet on election day from around 6 p.m. in the premises designated for counting (usually the central counting center). Each counting board counts at least one electoral district with regard to the citizenship election on the evening of the election. The count continues on the following days (until approximately the Friday after the election).

In view of the more complex five-vote electoral system, more extensive training of the election workers is required - especially for the counting boards.