Absentee voting: “There must be no privilege given to a particular group”

The short deadline for the upcoming early federal elections is a concern among Germans in Australia willing to vote. The members of the Electoral Law Reform Commission of the German Bundestag have addressed the issue and sought solutions. We spoke to Sebastian Hartmann about this. He is a member of the German Bundestag, domestic policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group and a member of the Commission on the Reform of Electoral Law.

For many German voters in Australia, the deadline to hand in the absentee ballots will be hard to meet. (Photo by Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images) Credit: Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images

• If you would like to know more about the work of the Commission on the Reform of Electoral Law, you can find their debates and report here.
• You can find detailed information about deadlines and processes for the upcoming federal election in Germany on the website of the Federal Election Commissioner.
• Here you can register on the Federal Government's crisis preparedness list (ELEFAND). This ensures that your current address is on file with the German authorities.

Sebastian Hartmann ist Miglied der Kommission zur Reform des Wahlrechts. Source: Supplied / Büro Sebastian Hartmann