Unknown persons altered ballot papers in the state elections in Saxony. The police are investigating attempted electoral fraud. What exactly happened and how often does this happen?
In Dresden, unknown persons covered up the crosses made by postal voters. Instead, they put new crosses next to the tiny party “Free Saxony”, which the Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies as a right-wing extremist endeavor. In one case, the police in Saxony are currently talking about . They were found in electoral districts in Dresden, Radeberg and Bautzen. The State Security Department has taken over the investigation.
Now the state election in Saxony is overshadowed by attempts at fraud. Answers to the most important questions.
What is election fraud?
What is classified as electoral fraud is regulated by . Anyone who “votes without authorization or otherwise causes an incorrect result of an election or falsifies the result” is punished. This also includes if someone “casts a vote in the context of permissible assistance contrary to the voting decision of the eligible voter or without an expressed voting decision of the eligible voter”.
Anyone who violates the paragraph can expect a fine or a prison sentence of up to five years. Even the attempt is punishable.
How did the cases in Dresden come to light?
Dresden police told the star When asked, the irregularities were noticed by employees of the state capital when counting the ballot papers. According to a report in the “Sächsische Zeitung”, the manipulated ballot papers were initially discovered in two electoral districts. “We became aware of this suspicion in relation to electoral districts 36011 and 36012,” a spokesperson for the city of Dresden told the newspaper. The two electoral districts are located in Langebrück in the north of Dresden. Individual manipulated ballot papers were later discovered in other districts.
In electoral district 36012, the “Free Saxony” did remarkably well. There they received 10.2 percent each with 59 direct votes and 60 list votes. Overall, the tiny party received 2.2 percent in the state election. According to a report in the “Bild” newspaper, employees of old people’s homes and postmen in Dresden were the focus of investigators as possible perpetrators. The police did not confirm this.
How common is electoral fraud in Germany?
Almost not at all. A spokesman for the Federal Criminal Police Office told starElection fraud plays such a minor role in Germany that the crime is not listed separately in the police crime statistics. “Election fraud is not a problem in Germany,” said the spokesman.
In Saxony, there is currently talk of around 130 ballot papers where authorities have identified an attempt to influence the vote. In total, around 2.37 million votes were cast in the state election on Sunday.
Should voters be worried?
No. (Attempted) election fraud is extremely rare in Germany. In previous elections, false information and fake photos circulated on social media that were supposed to show election fraud. However, these turned out to be false and were explained online.
Right-wing extremist groups have attempted to sow doubts about democratic processes with campaigns and actions in previous elections. The “Free Saxons”, who are said to have profited from the manipulated votes, are also classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a right-wing extremist endeavor. However, it is not yet clear who is behind the attempt in this state election.
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How is the vote counting going?
Votes cast in person and sent by post are counted together by volunteers and checked for legitimacy. The number of ballot papers is compared with voter lists and then determined by the election management. If there are any uncertainties, contact persons from the relevant authorities are available. The ballot papers are then packaged in the prescribed manner and must be stored safely until the relevant state or federal election management releases them for destruction at the latest 60 days before the next election.
“The conduct of the election and the counting in the ballot box and postal voting districts are public and verifiable,” a spokeswoman for the Federal Returning Officer told star “Anyone can be there as an election observer and see for themselves that everything is going according to plan and is transparent.”
Sources: State Returning Officer, , , , , “”,
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
