Facts and figures on the state elections in Cologne
Everyone has two of them. The first vote is for the direct candidate, the second vote for a party. Here in Cologne there are seven constituencies. Whoever gets the most first votes there moves directly into the state parliament. Cologne also has at least seven MPs. More can come, because depending on how many second votes a party gets, additional MPs can enter the state parliament via the state list.
Who is eligible to vote?
Any holder of a German ID card who is over 18 years old and has been registered in NRW for at least 16 days can choose. In this case, the election notification should automatically end up in the mailbox. If that doesn’t happen, the electoral office of the city of Cologne can help you. The deadline for submitting an application for inclusion on the electoral roll is April 24.
Direct and postal voting started on April 19th. In this way, residents of Cologne can use the voting documents from their mailboxes to apply for postal voting documents, fill out the ballot papers at home and then send them back to the elections office by post.
Alternatively, they can also vote directly on site in the district town halls and customer centers in their district. It is important to bring valid identification papers with you and to find out about the current Corona rules in the office beforehand. Direct and postal voting ends on Friday 13 May.
Here are two other helpful links:
Instructions for postal and direct voting in the city of Cologne.
Information on direct elections in your district
Contact the electoral office of the city of Cologne: 0221-221 34567.