As of midday, 33 percent of eligible voters in Berlin had already cast their ballots in the federal elections. This election Sunday has proceeded largely without issues, although there was a minor hiccup in Wilmersdorf.
Approximately 2.4 million residents were called to vote in Berlin, and by noon, one-third had participated in the election, according to the state election commission. This turnout figure marks an increase compared to the previous federal election, which saw a 25.4 percent participation rate at the same time.
The Treptow-Köpenick constituency recorded the highest voter turnout at midday, with 35.5 percent of eligible voters having cast their votes, while Neukölln reported the lowest turnout at 30.1 percent.
Among those who voted was Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, who, along with Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (both from the CDU party), cast their votes at a primary school in Berlin-Kladow.
Despite the overall smooth process, a polling station in a youth leisure facility in Wilmersdorf failed to open as scheduled in the morning. Voters were redirected to a nearby secondary school, where they could vote until the original station opened around noon.
To facilitate the voting process, nearly 37,000 election workers have been deployed. Voters have the option to select from 18 parties running their own state lists, in addition to choosing direct candidates across the twelve constituencies in Berlin.
This marks the fifth election day in Berlin within the past three and a half years. The 2021 federal election and the concurrent state parliament election faced significant issues, necessitating a full repeat of the House of Representatives election in 2023 and a partial repeat of the federal election in one-fifth of Berlin’s electoral districts in the following year. Additionally, European elections were held in June 2024.
