Illegal Voting Story

This story got brought up by HR (our regional public TV network folks).

So, back in 2016, there were municipal elections throughout Germany....just for the local level.  This episode started up here in Hessen in the Kelsterbach area (town south of Frankfurt, 20 km south).

This German woman came in to vote at the local polling site.  The poll folks looked up her name and said 'no'.....she had already mailed in an absentee ballot.  The woman said 'no'....she had not requested such a ballot and had not voted.

This led to a cop report, and a local prosecutor got involved.  After a fairly long review....the prosecutor now says four suspects were involved in potentially 33 cases (none are final yet).

Generally, what the four did was simply apply for an absentee ballot....signed the document, and received the ballot.

The case itself?  It won't be wrapped up in 2017, and no one can say for sure about court action.  The four might have to appear in front of a judge and there might be a real court episode to unfold.

Absentee ballots used to be rarely used in a German election.  Trends over the past decade have gone to significant usage....with Kelsterbach having around 20-percent of it's vote done by such a ballot.  Nationally, the number varies state to state, but some believe the total nears 25-percent.

As for the ease of applying for the absentee ballot?  You get a letter around two months prior to the election which explains where the local polling station is located, and explains the method for requesting a absentee ballot (typically, you are on vacation or supposed to be in a medical situation). So it's not difficult to get the ballot.

Why these four got involved in this? Unknown. It might be an interesting story to be told in court but one might suspect that they were just sitting around and thought it'd be an amusing thing to attempt.

As for changing a situation?  I looked at the population of Kelsterbach.  It's near 13,500.  If you dismiss the under-18 crowd and the non-Germans....it's probably near 9,500 adults in the town who are registered.  If you use the 75-percent voting trend....then roughly 7,250 are voting.  A 33-vote illegal vote change?  It doesn't amount to much for a municipal election.  Now....if this were 333-votes.....it could shift a unknown party or lesser-voted party up into better numbers....maybe giving them one seat on the city council.  Maybe this was the intention of the four individuals under investigation.

As for fixing this?  It'll be curious to see what happens.  Maybe they might force people to come by a local post office and present an ID to get the absentee ballot when it arrives.