Electoral roll (local elections) - apply for entry or correction
An official electoral roll is kept by the municipality for each electoral district.
All citizens who are eligible to vote on election day are entered in this register. Eligible voters whose main residence is registered in the municipality are automatically entered.
The municipality will send you a polling card at least three weeks before election day.
If you have not received a polling card, you should immediately check with your municipality whether you are on the electoral roll.
If this is not the case, you can apply to be entered (by correcting the electoral roll).
In some cases, you will only be entered on the electoral roll if you apply for this. Different rules and deadlines apply for this. You can find more information under Miscellaneous.
Responsible authority
the town or municipality in which you have your home
If you have more than one home, your main home is decisive.
Details
Prerequisite
- You are not entered in the electoral roll of the municipality responsible for you.
- You assume that you are authorised to vote in the municipal election.
Procedure
You can inspect the electoral roll from the 20th to the 16th day before the election on working days during the general opening hours of your municipality.
Within this period, you can also request a correction to the electoral roll in order to be registered.
You can do this in writing or in person (for recording) at the municipality.
Your application must contain at least the following information and be signed by hand:
- First name and surname
- Date of birth
- exact address of the voter or voters
- Wording "Application for entry in the electoral roll" or "Application for correction of the electoral roll"
The municipality will then check your eligibility to vote again.
If registration is possible, you will receive a voter's notification as soon as possible.
You can also apply for a polling card.
If your application is unsuccessful, you will be notified as soon as possible.
Deadlines
You can submit the application up to 16 days before the election at the latest.
Required documents
Proof that you fulfil the requirements for the right to vote
Costs
none
Processing time
Your application will be processed as quickly as possible.
Miscellaneous
As a returnee, the municipality will not automatically enter you in the electoral roll. You can find more information in the service"Applying for entry in the electoral roll (local elections) as a returnee".
If you move house, you will not automatically be entered in a different electoral roll. You can find information on this in the service"Electoral roll (local elections) - applying for entry when moving house".
Legal basis
Kommunalwahlordnung (KomWO)
Kommunalwahlgesetz (KomWG)
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Innenministerium Baden-Württemberg, 01.08.2025