Berlin state electoral office starts work

The new authority with eight employees is intended to make a significant contribution to better preparing and conducting elections in Berlin in future. Among other things, it will ensure closer and coordinated cooperation between the state level and the districts. Another task will be projects to inform young people in particular about democracy and the importance of elections - and thus promote a high voter turnout.

The establishment of the authority is a consequence of the elections to the House of Representatives and the Bundestag in 2021, which were marked by organizational problems and have since been repeated in whole or in part. The new office is part of a series of reforms that have already been implemented. These concerned, for example, the specific preparation of elections, the equipment of polling stations and the distribution of tasks between state and district level. Three permanent positions have also been created for the electoral offices in the districts - not all of them have been filled yet. State election director Stephan Bröchler sees the new office as an important step forward. However, further steps are still necessary for the reform, including a new electoral law.