Gießen is preparing for early federal elections on February 23rd!

Gießen is preparing for early federal elections on February 23rd!

A political earthquake shakes Giessen! A new Bundestag will be elected on February 23, 2025 – much earlier than expected! The original election was scheduled for September 28, 2025, but political circumstances are forcing the electoral office to make preparations in record time. Only three months remain to organize everything that would normally take nine months. The clock is ticking and the challenges are enormous!

The city of Giessen is in turmoil! The town hall on Berliner Platz is working at full speed to set up a postal voting office. Up to 800 poll workers are needed to ensure everything runs smoothly. City spokeswoman Claudia Boje warns: “Some of the usual helpers will not be there.” Therefore, a call is being made to universities to recruit students as election helpers. Volunteer training is another critical point - five evenings are scheduled to prepare the election officers and their deputies for the big day.

Logistical challenges and postal voting

Postal voting is booming! The trend, which began during the Corona period, presents electoral offices with logistical challenges. In the last federal election there were 28 postal voting districts in Giessen, and the counting took place in the congress hall - but on election evening it is reserved for a big folk music evening! The city has already found alternatives in the old art gallery and in the new youth welfare office, but time is running out.

When postal voting will start remains a mystery. The city cannot yet provide any information as the deadlines have to be set by the Federal Minister of the Interior. Preparations are still in full swing: over 60,000 ballot papers have to be printed and the same number of election notifications have to be sent out. A race against time that keeps the city on its toes!