State election

Eligibility to vote

In principle, all Germans within the meaning of the Basic Law who have reached the age of 18 on election day are eligible to vote:

• have reached the age of 18 (born on 27.10.2001 or earlier)
• have been resident or otherwise ordinarily resident in the electoral area of the Land of Thuringia since at least 27.07.2019 and
• are not excluded from the right to vote (by judgement).

The right to vote may be exercised only once and in person.

Electoral constituency division for the state election 2019

The city of Jena forms the constituencies 37 Jena I west of the Saale and 38 Jena II east of the Saale (including Löbstedt and Zwätzen).

The constituencies are again subdivided into individual electoral districts, see downloads.

Electoral roll

Registration ex officio

You can only exercise your right to vote in the municipality in which you are entered in the electoral roll. All persons entitled to vote who are registered in Jena with sole residence or main residence on the 42nd day before the election are registered ex officio in the electoral roll of the city of Jena and receive an election notification.

Homeless

Eligible voters who reside in Jena without holding a residence must apply for registration on the electoral roll by 6 October 2019 if they wish to vote in the state election.

Moving to Jena after 15 September 2019.

Eligible voters who have moved to Jena from another Thuringian municipality and register in Jena after 15 September 2019 are registered on the electoral roll of your municipality of departure. You remain registered there so that you can vote in your former polling place on election day. You can also have your former electoral authority issue you a ballot paper with absentee ballot documents.

If you want to vote in Jena, you must apply in writing to the electoral authority (Bürgerservice) of the city of Jena for registration in the electoral roll of the city of Jena no later than 6 October 2019. You will then be removed from the electoral roll of your municipality of departure.

This regulation also applies in the event that you register your secondary residence located in Jena as your main residence after September 15, 2019 or move into another residence in Jena that becomes your main residence.

After 6 October 2019, it is no longer possible to be entered in the electoral roll on application.

Moving within the city of Jena

Eligible voters who have moved within Jena and re-register after 15 September 2019, you will remain registered in your old electoral roll in any case. It is not possible to register on the new electoral roll on application. If you are unable to vote in your former polling station on election day, please apply for a ballot paper with postal voting documents in good time.

In exceptional cases, eligible voters whose main residence is outside of Thuringia will be entered in the electoral roll upon application if they are registered in Jena with a secondary residence and have their center of life at the location of the secondary residence. The application must be submitted to the municipality at the place of the secondary residence no later than the 50th day before the election, 7 September 2019. The eligible voter must thereby credibly demonstrate that he will have his center of life on election day for at least three months in Thuringia.

Election notification

Anyone who has been entered in the electoral roll receives an official election notification by post no later than the 21st day before the election. The election notification serves two functions:

Together with your identity card or passport, it serves as proof of your eligibility to vote when you go to your polling station to vote on election Sunday. You should therefore take the letter with you. Your polling place is named in the election notification letter. If you do not go to your polling station on election Sunday, you can apply for an absentee ballot using the data from the election notification letter, also online.

How to apply for postal voting documents

• Online application for absentee ballots begins on the 25th day before the election and ends on the Thursday before the election date, as the documents would probably not reach you in time. This also applies to applications made by informal email.
• Written application / personal appearance: On the back of the election notification letter you will find an application form for postal voting documents. Please use this form if you wish to apply for your absentee ballot papers by post, by fax or by attending in person.
• In case of proven sudden illness, absentee ballots can still be collected on election Sunday from 08:00 to 15:00. To do so, please apply (by proxy) at Am Anger 28, 07743 Jena.
• An application by telephone is not permitted.

• Deadline for online application for absentee ballots begins on the 40th day before the election and ends on the Thursday before the election date.
• The absentee ballot must arrive back at the election authority of the city of Jena by 6:00 p.m. on election day; postal delivery times must be observed.

• Thuringian State Election Act
• Thuringian State Election Code