Certificate of eligibility to stand for election 

Overview

Participation in an election requires a certain backing in the electorate. To this end, all of the electoral laws stipulate that, for nomination proposals from parties, voting groups and independent applicants who are not represented by a minimum number of delegates in parliament or the body to which they should be elected, a certain number of signatures of support from citizens entitled to vote must be presented for nomination to be approved.

Required are:

- for European elections
  2000 for a state list and 4000 for a federal list

- for federal elections
  200 for a district nomination and 2000 for a state list

- for state elections
  50 for a district nomination and 1000 for a state list

- for direct election
  twice as many signatures as there are seats in the municipal council
  or district council 

The signatures of support must be collected personally and handwritten on official forms, which will be issued to the nominee by the responsible electoral board on request. Each person entitled to vote can support only one candidate with a signature.

The entitlement to vote must be confirmed for each supporter by the municipality responsible for his/her main domicile. The certificate of eligibility to stand for election is usually issued on the same form on which the signatures were collected; it is free of charge.

For further information:

www.wahlen.hessen.de

Who do I have to contact?

Depending on the up-coming election, please contact the municipal, district, state or federal election board. Information will be provided in the corresponding notifications, in which calls will be made for the submission of nominations.