Registration

Under official registration (also official entry ) is understood in Germany, or under official collection in Austria, the collection of supporter signatures under a petition for a referendum or citizens' initiative under official supervision at City Hall or at other officially designated locations. In a few German federal states, official registration is also required by law for the collection of supporters' signatures for local elections .

Official registration in Germany

In German federal states, the entry in a list of supporters for a referendum or citizens' initiative is always possible at the office or officially designated bodies. In a number of federal states , however, it is the only form of entry option, i.e. supporting an initiative by entering it in appropriate lists (so-called free collection ) is expressly prohibited. In a few other federal states, official registration is an alternative to free collection, i.e. the initiators must determine in advance of a request which registration method they want to use, this having an impact on the further procedural regulations (e.g. the deadlines for the collection and the amount of Quorums ).

Official collection in Austria

In Austria, the official collection is required for all direct democratic procedures at the federal level , as well as in seven of the nine federal states . Free collection at state level is only permitted in Burgenland and Salzburg .

criticism

If there is no alternative to official registration or the collection of offices, this is often criticized by proponents of direct democracy because it significantly increases the hurdles for supporting a direct democratic initiative. In rural areas in particular, you may have to go a long way to express your support for an initiative. The limited opening times are another hurdle, especially for working people, which makes it difficult to support a request. Proponents of the official registration or the official collection oppose that only by means of them sufficient protection against manipulation (forgery of signatures) and data protection can be guaranteed.

In the German state of Brandenburg , as a reaction to the criticism of the official registration on the occasion of a reform in 2012, the possibility was created for the municipal administrations to be able to determine further registration offices (e.g. banks and post offices, shops). The critics of the official registration, however, do not see any fundamental improvement in this, rather the problem is now also created that the number of registration offices is dependent on the political support of an initiative on the part of local politicians.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Comparison ( memento of December 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) of direct democratic procedural conditions between the Austrian federal states of more democracy!
2. ↑ Position paper of the association Mehr Demokratie on the question of official registration in Germany.
3. ↑ Voting shouldn't be too easy , Grit Weihraucher, taz January 3, 2012.
4. ↑ Collected over 500 signatures against official entry , Märkische Oderzeitung, May 11, 2009.