By Sara Orlos Fernandes, Julian Loevenich and Isabel Pfannkuche
Meter-long queues, missing ballot papers and voting well after 6 p.m.: Anyone who wanted to vote “quickly” on September 26, 2021 failed due to the chaotic conditions that prevailed in many polling stations.
BZ therefore sent its own election observers to today’s Berlin elections, who looked around at three polling stations where it was particularly crunchy in the last election. These are their experiences:
► The polling station at the Pankow adult education center. Here the failure became particularly clear in 2021! Instead of the regular 6 p.m., the restaurant only closed at 6:45 p.m. The reason: long queues!
Felix B. (29), landscape architect: “I wasn’t allowed to vote here last time. But I heard from the neighborhood that they sometimes had to queue for two hours. So I picked a good time (3 p.m.). I thought that the many families with children might be there earlier.” Photo: Siegfried Purschke
The night before, 70 helpers had canceled. In addition, there was a lack of ballot papers across the district, and voting had to be interrupted for up to 90 minutes in some cases.
On this Sunday, however, there were no queues to be seen! After two minutes, the Berliners came out of the office at the adult education centre. Problems: none.
Christine Marth (47) with her husband Bob Konrad and daughter Amalia (18): “In 2021 I was also in this long queue! My husband had voted early in the morning and was lucky. Everything went well this time. Amalia was allowed to cast all three votes for the first time.” Photo: Siegfried Purschke
Sonja Fischbacher (40), employee: “In the last election I was in a different constituency. Because I’m Austrian, I can only vote for BVV. It was super relaxed, everything was well signposted, people explained it nicely and after two minutes I was outside again. I chose the left” Photo: Siegfried Purschke
► View of the polling station at Volkspark Friedrichshain. In the 2021 election, Berliners were still queuing at the polling station shortly after 7 p.m. – it should have ended at 6 p.m. It took up to two hours to get into the polling booths.
At Volkspark Friedrichshain, elections continued until well after 6 p.m. in 2021 (left). In 2023 there was no snake there Photo: Lohse
And today? No mess, no glitch, enough ballots, everything goes smoothly. Waiting times: almost none.
Frederike Rosenbusch (18), goldsmith trainee from Prenzlauer Berg: “I stood in line for two hours at the last election. But today I was able to go straight in here and was out again after five minutes” Photo: Christian Lohse
Max W. (30), election worker from Prenzlauer Berg: “It’s all very, very well organized and well planned. As a helper you have the chance to rotate. Everything is well thought out” Photo: Christian Lohse
Jana Sterneckert (54) from Prenzlauer Berg: “There has always been a queue here in the last few years, I don’t know it any other way. Today I was surprised: there was nothing going on at all. I hope it’s not due to low voter turnout.” Photo: Christian Lohse
► The polling station at Bundesplatz in the Wilmersdorf district of Berlin. While voters waited in line for a long time at the previous election here, they were ready in three minutes this Sunday.
Four instead of two voting booths were largely superfluous, and the turnout was lower than in the first election. So there was partial emptiness in polling station 626 in the Caritas warm room.
Hans G. (85) from Wilmersdorf voted at polling station 626 at Bundesplatz 18: “Last year people were still standing at the intersection at 6 p.m., today it is empty. I don’t think people want to vote twice.” Photo: Peter Mueller
“Overall impression is that everything is going really well”
The international election observers from the Council of Europe also expressed their satisfaction with the course of the repeat elections in Berlin on Sunday afternoon. “The overall impression is that everything is going really well,” said the head of the delegation, Vladimir Prebilic, before the polls closed. “Things are really well organized, I have to say.”
The ten-strong delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe visited polling stations in all twelve districts of Berlin in small teams. According to Prebilic, they spoke to electoral officers and observed the processes. The election workers knew what to do, there weren’t long queues, and nobody complained, Prebilic said.