Press release no. 14/19 of 17. April 2019

2019 European Election: exclusions from voting rights as per Section 6a of the European Elec-tions Act no longer applicable

WIESBADEN - The Federal Constitutional Court decided on 15 April 2019 that persons placed under full custodianship and of offenders confined, for lack of criminal responsibility, in a psychiatric hospital may participate in the 2019 European Election. The Federal Returning Officer reports that, according to this judgment, Section 6a (1) nos. 2 and 3 and Section 6a (2) no. 1 in conjunction with subsection (1) nos. 2 and 3 of the European Elections Act (EuWG) must not be applied to applications for registration in the voters' register nor to objections and complaints against the correctness or completeness of the voters’ registers in the European Election in Germany on 26 May 2019.

Participation in European Election only possible upon application
In order to exercise their voting rights in this Election, the groups of persons concerned must submit an application as per Section 17 (German citizens) or as per Section 17a (Union citizens) of the European Electoral Regulations (EuWO) for registration in the voters' register of their municipality or must lodge an objection or complaint against the correctness of the current voters' register as per Section 21 of EuWO. The signed original of the application must have been received by 5 May 2019. An objection against the voters’ register may be lodged from 6 to 10 May 2019 – this applies to most of the eligible voters concerned.

Application forms available on the website of the Federal Returning Officer
A sample application form for German citizens and the required application form for Union citizens as well as further information on how to proceed can be found on the website of the Federal Returning Officer at www.bundeswahlleiter.de.

For further information:

Office of the Federal Returning Officer
tel: +49 (0) 611 / 75 48 63
www.bundeswahlleiter.de/contact