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Determining the final result of the Bundestag election

The member of the electoral board acting as minute-keeper creates an election record of the poll and the process of determining and establishing the election result. All the steps of the counting procedure through to the establishment of the election result are documented in the election record according to a set format (see Annex 29 of the Federal Electoral Regulations). The record must be approved and signed by the members of the electoral board. Then each electoral officer is required to hand over the record and the annexes to the municipal authority. The latter, in turn, submits the election records of its electoral boards to the constituency returning officer as quickly as possible.

The constituency returning officer checks the election records of the electoral boards for completeness and proper form. The results are presented to the constituency electoral committee. The committee then determines the election result for the constituency and establishes

• the number of persons entitled to vote,
• the number of voters,
• the number of valid and invalid first and second votes,
• the number of valid first votes cast for each candidate,
• the number of valid second votes cast for each Land list.

The constituency electoral committee may correct results established by the electoral board, for example by deciding differently as to the validity of individual votes cast.

Minutes are also kept of the constituency electoral committees' meeting and must be signed by all involved. These minutes are submitted to the Land returning officer and the Federal Returning Officer as quickly as possible together with a table of the election results according to a set format (Annex 30 of the Federal Electoral Regulations).

The Land returning officer examines the election records of the constituency electoral committees. Then the final election results for the various constituencies are compiled and presented to the Land electoral committee. The Land electoral committee determines the Land result on the basis of second votes cast and establishes

• the number of persons entitled to vote,
• the number of voters,
• the number of valid and invalid second votes,
• the number of valid second votes cast for each Land list.
• In cases where Section 4 (2), second sentence, number 1 of the Federal Elections Act applies, the Land electoral committee establishes the number of second votes cast for each Land list to be taken into account when the seats are distributed (adjusted numbers) and establishes which candidates have been elected according to the provisional results.  

Where necessary, the Land electoral committee corrects any incorrect calculations in the results established by the electoral boards or constituency electoral committees. The documents are submitted to the Federal Returning Officer together with the minutes of the meeting in accordance with Annex 33 of the Federal Electoral Regulations.

The Federal Returning Officer examines the election records of the Land electoral committees. On the basis of the election records of the Land and constituency electoral committees, the Federal Returning Officer determines

• the number of second votes cast for the Land lists of each party,
• the total number of valid second votes cast in the electoral area,
• the votes cast for each party in the electoral area as a percentage of the total number of valid second votes cast,
• the number of constituency seats won by each party in the electoral area and the adjusted number of second votes cast for the Land lists and each party,

In accordance with Sections 4 and 6 of the Federal Elections Act, the Federal Returning Officer calculates the number of votes cast for the individual parties and Land lists, distributes the seats among the parties and their Land lists and, pursuant to Section 6 of the Federal Elections Act, orders the candidates of a party by Land and ranks them in descending order by the proportion of first votes they have received.

After the report by the Federal Returning Officer, the Federal Electoral Committee determines the overall result of the Land list election and conclusively establishes, for the entire electoral area,

• the number of persons eligible to vote,
• the number of voters,
• the number of valid and invalid second votes,
• the number of valid second votes going to each party,
• the parties which, pursuant to Section 4 (2) of the Federal Elections Act,
  • are considered in the distribution of list seats,
  • are not considered in the distribution of list seats,
• the adjusted number of second votes going to each party,
• the number of seats going to each party and Land list, the number of successful constituency candidates pursuant to Section 6 (2) of the Federal Elections Act, and the individual candidates who have been elected.

The Federal Electoral Committee may correct any incorrect calculations in the results established by the Land electoral committees.

As soon as all electoral committees have established their results, the constituency returning officers publicly announce the final result for their constituency, the Land returning officers announce the final result for their Land, and the Federal Returning Officer announces the final result for the entire electoral area.

Last update: 16 October 2026