Citizens' participation in the city triangle: referendum remains weak!

Citizens' participation in the city triangle: referendum remains weak!

Donaueschingen, Deutschland - A referendum for reducing the state parliament caused a sensation in the region, but the citizen participation remains behind the expectations. If you want to support the concern, you can do this through a signature - either directly in the town hall or online. The administrations are obliged to collect the votes and offer the opportunity to enter the lists for three months. But how big is the interest?

The numbers speak a clear language: by October 31, 2024, only 72 citizens in Donaueschingen made their signature. "There were 33 entries of the free collection," reports Beatrix Grüninger from the city administration. Only 39 people signed the list in the town hall itself. With 17,130 eligible voters, this is a sobering result. It doesn't look much better in Hüfingen either: 22 people have entered the official collection here, while 32 signatures were collected in the free collection. In Bräunlingen there are just 19 supporters. The figures show that interest in shaping politics in the city triangle is rather behavior.

hurdles low, interest low

Why participation is so low remains unclear. Citizens may be political violations or are skeptical about the project. The FDP actively supported the referendum, but the majority of the parties passed the electoral law in 2022, which may lead to a certain rejection. Despite extensive reporting in the media and information from the administrations, many citizens do not seem to be willing to give their vote.

Participation in the vote is simple: in Donaueschingen you can register in the citizens' service in Rathaus II, without an appointment and with just one ID document. The deadlines are clear: The official collection ends on December 10th, the free collection runs until February 11, 2025. Despite the low hurdles, the question remains whether the citizens will support the initiative or whether interest will continue to be left.