How the election works

A plain summary of the rules, drawn from the Berlin state agency for civic education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung), the state election director and rbb24. Nothing here is interpretation; the sources are linked at the end.

The election guideThe Landeszentrale’s brochure as seven web chapters: what is elected, who may vote, how it all works, with every chart rebuilt.

What is being elected on 20 September?

The Abgeordnetenhaus: Berlin’s state parliament. Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s 16 federal states, so this is the body that decides on schools, policing, public transport, rent rules, hospitals, climate targets and the state budget.
Twelve Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen (BVV): one district assembly for each of Berlin’s 12 Bezirke, responsible with the district office for local matters: playgrounds, nurseries, cycle lanes, parks, libraries, planning permissions.
Both are elected every five years, always on a Sunday. Afterwards the Abgeordnetenhaus elects the Governing Mayor, who appoints up to ten Senators; each BVV elects a District Mayor and five District Councillors.

Who may vote?

Abgeordnetenhaus

German citizen
At least 16 years old
Main residence in Berlin for at least three months

BVV (district assembly)

German citizen, or citizen of another EU member state
At least 16 years old
Main residence in Berlin for at least three months

New in 2026: 16- and 17-year-olds may vote for the Abgeordnetenhaus for the first time. Previously this was only possible for the BVV.

Anyone without a German passport cannot vote for the Abgeordnetenhaus, and anyone without a German or EU passport cannot vote in either election, however long they have lived here, and even if they were born here. Under Germany’s Basic Law only Germans may vote in state and federal elections; changing that would need a two-thirds majority in both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. That gap is why this site exists.

Around 2.4 million people are eligible to vote for the Abgeordnetenhaus and around 2.75 million for the BVV, the difference being roughly 250,000 citizens of other EU countries. About 55,000 are 16- and 17-year-olds voting for the first time. Around 976,000 Berlin residents, one in four, hold no German passport and cannot vote for the Abgeordnetenhaus.

How does voting work?

For the Abgeordnetenhaus you have two votes. The first vote (Erststimme) goes to a candidate in your Wahlkreis. Berlin has 78 of them, and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat directly. The second vote (Zweitstimme) goes to a party list, either Berlin-wide or district-wide, and decides how many seats each party gets overall. The two votes need not go to the same party.

For the BVV you have one vote, for a party or voter-group list in your district.

Polling stations are open from 8 am to 6 pm on 20 September; bring your ID card or passport. Voting cards were posted from 10 August. Postal voting is available; postal ballots must reach the district electoral office by 6 pm on election day to count.

Who gets elected?

The Abgeordnetenhaus has at least 130 seats: 78 are won directly in the Wahlkreise and at least 52 are filled from party lists, with extra seats added where needed to keep the result proportional. The parliament elected in 2023 has 159 members for that reason. A party needs 5 % of second votes to enter.

Each BVV has 55 seats. A party or voter group needs 3 % of the votes in that district to win seats.

Parties that reach 1 % in the Abgeordnetenhaus election receive public funding from the State of Berlin. In 2023, 33 parties stood; this year 17 are on the Abgeordnetenhaus ballot.

Why is there an election so soon after 2023?

The regular 2021 election had to be repeated in full because of serious organisational failures on polling day, which is why Berlin voted again on 12 February 2023. The repeat did not start a new five-year term: it completed the one begun in 2021, so the next regular election falls in 2026, as originally scheduled.

What happens after the polls close?

At 6 pm the first projections based on exit polls are published, becoming more accurate through the evening. A preliminary official result usually follows on election night or the next day; the State Election Commission certifies the final result a few weeks later. The parties then negotiate a coalition, which typically takes several weeks. Once an agreement is signed, the Abgeordnetenhaus elects the Governing Mayor, who appoints the Senators.

How many people actually vote?

In 2023, 62.9 % of those eligible voted for the Abgeordnetenhaus and 58.1 % for the BVV; in 2016 the figures were 66.9 % and 62.3 %. Roughly two in three eligible voters take part.