Election campaign thriller: Who sends me personal letters and why?

Election campaign thriller: Who sends me personal letters and why?

In the hot phase of the election campaign for the municipal elections on Sunday, March 11, 2025, many parties provide voters with personalized election advertising. These letters in which the politicians explain their concerns are no coincidence. As reported vorarlberg.orf.at , all election parties may access the electoral directory in order to view the addresses of the voters. This happens without upper limits, which means that letters can easily occur. Politologist Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle explains that this form of direct address takes advantage of the parties because they can achieve voters in a targeted manner and advertise their voices.

election advertising and data protection regulations

A critical eye, however, must be based on the data protection aspects of these election campaigns. According to Anwalt.de , the parties must observe the legal framework covered if they send directly addressed letters. The addresses can either come from registration information or from Address dealers, the latter selling the data for advertising purposes. Parties can only use this data for election advertising and must delete them after the election. If you no longer want to receive voting advertising, you can apply for a transmission lock from the registration authority, for example, which refuses to access the data.

In addition, the telephone and email voting advertising is regulated by law and may only be made with the prior consent of the voters. As the discussion about the use of social media and microtargeting shows, data protection in political space remains explosive and could ensure new challenges in the upcoming Bundestag election in 2025. Election advertising is therefore legal and important for the democratic process, but must consider clear limits to protect the privacy of voters.