Mail-in voting for mayor elections, Herne: usage of ballot papers
In a series of unfortunate events, several cities in Germany have reported errors with their postal voting documents for the recent mayoral election held in August 2025. The affected cities include Dinslaken, Bruhl, Herten, and Schwerte.
In Schwerte, thousands of faulty voting papers were sent to postal voters, causing confusion and concern among the electorate. Similarly, in Dinslaken, voting papers were found to be faulty, raising questions about the validity of the vote counting process.
The individual affected in Herne, who had their postal voting documents missing, has expressed concern about the validity of the vote counting due to the reported errors. This concern is not limited to Herne, as several other cities have also reported similar issues with their postal voting documents.
In Herten, an envelope was missing from the postal voting documents, while in Bruhl, 4930 voting papers were found to be invalid. However, no information is provided about the resolution of the reported errors in the other cities or the individual's request for the missing voting paper in Herne.
The responsible person for the review and correction of postal voting errors in Herne is typically the local election office or the municipal electoral committee of Herne. Nevertheless, the delay in resolving the issue has led to growing concerns about the integrity of the election process.
Sources for the reported errors include various news outlets such as wp.de, hertener-allgemeine.de, ga.de, nrz.de, rp-online.de, and personal email correspondence. The public is urged to stay informed and contact their local election offices for updates on the situation.
As the election results are eagerly awaited, it is crucial that the errors are addressed promptly to ensure the validity of the vote counting and the fairness of the election process. The affected cities are working diligently to rectify the issues and provide clarity to the voters.
