Page 96 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

78 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19

Germany

Local elections in Bavaria

The German state of Bavaria held the first round of local elections on 15th March 2020, offering in-
person voting at polling stations and postal voting. The second-round run-off election was held on 29th
March 2020. It was an all-postal vote election decided as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and
the health risk of contagion posed through social contact. All-postal vote was decided, and logistical
arrangements were made after the first-round election was held. The local elections in Hessen and
Saxony, Germany originally scheduled from April-October 2020 have been deferred for now.

Precautions taken during the elections:

• Due to the pandemic, election workers used precautions such as protective gloves, use of
sanitizers.

• Polling stations were equipped with disinfectant gel and sinks for hand-washing.
• Voters were allowed to bring their own pens.

• More people filed postal ballots than five years earlier. In fact, affected municipalities were asked
to prepare documents for postal voting and to send them to voters.

Effect on voter turnout:

Municipal elections in the southern German state of Bavaria went off with higher voter turnout than
the last election six years ago, despite the state fending off one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in
the country.
Turnout was higher than the last election six years ago, as the officials noted a greater number of postal
ballots this time. Though it is pertinent to note that due to a spike in the number of cases of coronavirus,
the following day, Chancellor Angela Merkel enacted measures like closure of non-essential shops and
schools, restrictions on restaurants, and border closures to curb the spread of coronavirus. In Pullach,
it turned out that around March 15, an election worker and an employee in the town hall had already
been infected. It was then reported that Mayor Susanna Tausendfreund (Green), three employees from
the Johann-Bader Street, all of them engaged in the March 15 election, tested positive for Coronavirus.
Similarly, in Baierbrunn, it turned out that among the visitors, there were some infected people when
the results were made public. Later on, it was found that the Bavarian elections resulted in around
2,000 extra coronavirus cases. Therefore, the local elections in Hessen and Saxony, Germany originally
scheduled from April-October 2020 were deferred for the time-being.