Why around 10 million people in Germany can't vote in the election

Germany's naturalisation overhaul last year paved the way for many to finally become German. 

Following the introduction of the dual citizenship reform in summer 2024, Germany's naturalisation offices have seen an influx of applications. Those who've applied and received their naturalisation certificate before the election will be able to cast their vote. 

But foreigners in Germany who are not eligible for citizenship, haven't applied, or are still waiting for their application to go through the process will not have a say in the snap election.

We look into who can vote - and who can't - in the German federal election. 

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• How new German citizens can vote in upcoming German election
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Who can vote?

To vote in Germany's nationwide elections, you need to be a German citizen aged 18 years or over on election day. Although the voting age was reduced to 16 for the last European elections in Germany, it has not been lowered for the Bundestag vote.

You also need to have been resident in Germany for at least three months of your life after you turned 14. German citizens who leave Germany retain their right to vote in federal elections for 25 years.

Finally, you need to be on the electoral register.

Around 59.2 million Germans will be eligible to vote on February 23rd this year (out of a total population of about 84 million), according to estimates from the Federal Statistical Office. That includes about 30.6 million women and 28.6 million men.

The electorate also includes about 2.3 million potential first-time voters who account for 3.9 percent of all eligible voters. 

Many German nationals who live abroad can also cast a vote, making the exact number of eligible voters even higher.

READ ALSO: How people with German citizenship can vote from abroad

Are foreign nationals allowed to vote?

Foreign nationals without German citizenship do not have the right to vote - or stand as a candidate - in federal elections, state elections or referendums at the federal and state level.

An exception applies under EU law for nationals from member states of the European Union, but only at the municipal level and for EU elections. German authorities say there is no obligation to introduce a right to vote for EU citizens to participate in elections for the German Bundestag and state parliaments.

In 2023, around 17.1 million people aged 18 and over in Germany had a migration background. This group refers to people whose heritage is influenced by migration, even if they themselves were born in Germany and are German citizens.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, 7.1 million of these were eligible to vote via their German citizenship, leaving around 10 million foreign nationals over the age of 18 unable to vote. 

Voters with a migration background made up 12 percent of all eligible voters in 2023. A decade ago, their share of the vote was nine percent, showing how this part of the population is growing. 

READ ALSO: What's behind Germany growing population?

Do you need an address to vote?

It is more difficult for people without a registered home address to exercise their right to vote because they cannot receive a voter's notification card by post.

People who are homeless without a registered address are not listed in their local authority's electoral roll. They have to submit an application for inclusion in the electoral roll to a municipality by the 21st day before the election at the latest.

Social services and homelessness support organisations can submit collective applications for several people at the same time or support people through this process. 

What else should I know about voting rights in Germany?

There have been changes in recent years to voting rights. In February 2019, for instance, Germany's top court overturned a law that excluded certain groups of people with disabilities or mental illness from the right to vote.

The case concerned people with disabilities who were permanently dependent on care to manage their affairs. Electoral law previously forbade this group from taking part in elections. However, judges saw these voting bans as a violation of the constitutional principle of universal suffrage. 

The constitutional court ruled that the general exclusion of mentally or psychologically impaired people from voting is unconstitutional - meaning that groups may no longer be excluded across the board.

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When can the right to vote be taken away in Germany?

According to the Federal Returning Officer, eligible voters can only have their right to vote revoked by a court judgement. This is only possible in individual cases, and cannot be decided for life - only for ‘two to a maximum of five years’.

A disenfranchisement is possible if there have been convictions to prison sentences of at least six months or at least one year for certain offences such as ‘preparation of a war of aggression and high treason against the federal government’, ‘treason and disclosure of state secrets’, ‘obstruction of elections and falsification of election documents’ or ‘bribery of members of parliament’.