Support signature
Supporting signatures are the signatures of those entitled to vote that a party or a candidate (e.g. a direct candidate in Germany ) must present in order to be able to participate in an election, provided that the party has not already otherwise qualified to participate in the election. Supporters' signatures are only valid from persons who are entitled to vote at the time of signature according to § 27 BWahlG .
Germany
In Germany, the signature must be made on an official form, after which its validity is checked - in smaller communities by the residents' registration office, in larger cities by the statistical office or electoral office.
The reason given for this process of admission by means of supporting signatures is that only those parties and direct candidates should appear on the ballot that have a certain level of popular support, without which an election success would be unlikely anyway.
Bundestag elections
According to § 27 BWahlG, parties in elections to the German Bundestag that have not been represented by at least five MPs without interruption since the last election due to their own nominations in the Bundestag or in a state parliament must collect support signatures in order to be able to participate in the Bundestag election. Individual applicants must also collect signatures of support in order to participate in the election. In every federal state in which the party would like to run with a state list , it needs the signatures of one thousandth of the number of eligible voters in the state in the last federal election, but no more than 2000 signatures. To submit a nomination for district elections, 200 signatures are required from those eligible to vote in the district.
A supporter signature must be provided personally and by hand on a form, whereby all necessary information must also be entered personally and by hand on the form. The form is issued by the district returning officer for district election proposals and by the regional returning officer for state lists. In practice, this requires the submission of the minutes of the list of applicants. The form is provided electronically or on paper. No signatures may be collected before the applicants are listed. Each eligible voter may only support one state list and only one district nomination with his signature. Anyone who signs several state lists or several district election proposals is liable to prosecution; the signatures are invalid. In the case of a constituency nomination by an individual applicant, three eligible voters must sign the supporting signature on the nomination themselves.
Evidence of the supporter's eligibility to vote must be provided. This is done through a certificate of the right to vote by the local authority, which lists the supporter in the electoral roll. The supporter does not necessarily have to obtain the certificate of the right to vote.
State elections
In elections to the state parliaments , the number of supporting signatures required varies significantly. There are also different rules governing who is exempt from submitting supporting signatures. Parties that have been represented in the country's parliament without interruption since its last election are not required to collect support signatures in any country. The requirements for supporting signatures correspond to those for federal elections.
| country | Required signatures | Required number for nationwide voting | Do not need any support signatures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | District nomination: 150 | 10500 | parties represented in the Landtag during the last electoral term |
| Bavaria | In each constituency one thousandth of the number of eligible voters of the last election, but no more than 2000 | 8277 ( election 2018 ) |
Parties and groups of voters with at least 1.25% of the total vote in the last state election |
| Berlin | District election proposal: 45 District list: 185 State list: 2200 |
2200 (state list) 2220 (district lists ) |
Parties represented in the House of Representatives or the Bundestag without interruption during the last electoral term |
| Brandenburg | District election proposal: 100 Land list: one thousandth of the number of eligible voters in the last election, but no more than 2000 |
2000 | Parties that are represented in the Landtag or Bundestag by members elected for them in the Land |
| Bremen | One thousandth of the number of eligible voters in each of the Bremen and Bremerhaven elective areas | 488 ( election 2019 ) |
Parties and electoral associations that have been represented by members elected for them without interruption since their last election in the citizenry or in the Bundestag |
| Hamburg | Constituency list: 100 State list: 1000 |
1000 | Parties, groups of voters and individual applicants who are represented in the Bundestag or a state parliament |
| Hesse | District election proposal: 50 State list: 1000 |
1000 | Parties and groups of voters who have been represented in the state parliament without interruption since the last state parliament election |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | District election proposal: 100 State list: 100 |
100 | Parties that have been represented by members elected for them in the state without interruption since their last election in the state parliament or the Bundestag |
| Lower Saxony | District election proposal: 100 National election proposal : 2000 |
2000 | Parties that are represented in the state parliament or the Bundestag by members elected for them in the state, or that received at least 5% of the second votes in the state in the last Bundestag election |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | District election proposal: 100 State list: 1000 |
1000 | Parties that have been represented by members elected for them in the state without interruption since their last election in the state parliament or the Bundestag |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | District election proposal: 125 (early election: 50) State or district list: 40 subjects (in the case of early election: 10 subjects) the number of constituencies in the state or district |
2040 (early election: 510) |
Parties that have been represented in the Landtag or Bundestag, and electoral associations that have been represented in the Landtag without interruption since their last election |
| Saarland | District election proposal: 300 State list: none (at least one district election proposal must be permitted) |
900 | Parties that have been represented in the Landtag or Bundestag, and electoral associations that have been represented in the Landtag without interruption since their last election |
| Saxony | District election proposal: 100 State list: 1000 |
1000 | Parties that are represented on the 90th day before the election with members elected for them in the Bundestag or in a state parliament |
| Saxony-Anhalt | District election proposal: 100 State election proposal : 1000 |
1000 | Parties that are represented in the state parliament or the Bundestag with members elected for them in the state on the day the election day is determined |
| Schleswig-Holstein | District election proposal: 100 State list: 1000 |
1000 | Parties with a member of the Landtag or Bundestag elected for them in the Land |
| Thuringia | District election proposal: 250 State list: 1000 |
1000 | Parties that have been represented without interruption in the Bundestag or in a state parliament by elected representatives since their last election |
European elections
In European elections , parties that are not already represented in the European Parliament, the Bundestag or a state parliament with at least five MPs must also collect support signatures if they want to submit an election proposal. For a common list for all federal states, the signatures of 4,000 eligible voters are required; for a list for a single federal state, the signatures of one thousandth of the number of eligible voters in the state in the last European elections, but no more than 2000 signatures. The requirements for supporting signatures are the same as those for federal elections.
Austria
The number of supporting signatures required to participate in the election of the National Council is 500 in the federal states of Vienna and Lower Austria , 400 in Upper Austria and Styria , 200 in Tyrol , Carinthia and Salzburg, and 100 in Burgenland and Vorarlberg . The signatory must have his / her municipality personally certify that they are eligible to vote. The handwritten signature must be made in front of the local authority or certified by a court or notarized. No supporting signatures require state election proposals that are signed by at least three members of the National Council.
In order to run for the European elections, electoral parties must present the supporting signature of a member of the European Parliament, three members of the National Council or 2,600 eligible voters.
Switzerland
When electing the National Council , each nomination must be signed by 100 eligible voters in the canton if two to ten members are to be elected in the canton, by 200 eligible voters if the canton has 11 to 20 members, and by 400 eligible voters in cantons with more than 20 MPs. Each eligible voter can only sign one list. No support signatures are required if the party won at least one seat or at least three percent of the vote in the last National Council election in the canton. If the canton has only one representative, the voters can vote for any person who can be elected.
France
In order for election to the president to be able to compete, the candidate must since the introduction of direct elections following a referendum in 1962, at least 500 signatures of supporters gather, hold the self-elected political office. A good 42,000 elected officials are eligible. These are primarily mayors, but also members of the National Assembly, senators or parliamentarians from regional authorities such as the regional and departmental councils. You must come from at least 30 different departments or French overseas territories, whereby no more than a tenth of the necessary signatures, i.e. 50, can be given for any department.
This regulation is intended to ensure that only serious candidates who have a supraregional support organization stand for election.
In the 2012 presidential election , Marine Le Pen , candidate for the National Front , sued the Constitutional Council in vain against this ruling. Your request to create the possibility of being able to provide the signatures anonymously was rejected. Three weeks before being allowed to vote, the politician had only received 400 signatures. At the time, polls predicted that Le Pen was among the three most promising candidates for election.
Denmark
Denmark has a relatively high candidacy hurdle for parties that are not represented in parliament. They have to register in order to be able to participate in the election of the 175 members of the Folketing (there are also two seats each for Greenland and Faroe Islands). For this purpose, declarations of support from eligible voters are required, the minimum number of which is the number of valid votes at the last election divided by 175. In fact, just over 20,000 eligible voters have to support the party. Individual applicants must be supported by a minimum of 150 and a maximum of 200 eligible voters from their constituency.
Netherlands
Parties have to collect statements of support for their lists if they did not win a seat in the last election of the body to be elected. When electing the Second Chamber , 30 support signatures are required in each of the 19 constituencies of the European Netherlands, in the Caribbean constituency of Bonaire ( BES Islands ) only ten due to the small population. The signature on the declaration of support must be given to the local authority.
Belgium
When electing the Chamber of Representatives , nominations must either be signed by three incumbent MPs or by a certain number of eligible voters in the constituency. According to the last census, the minimum number is 200 in constituencies with less than 500,000 inhabitants, 400 in constituencies with 500,000 to 1,000,000 inhabitants, and 500 in the other constituencies.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Section 34, Paragraph 4 and Section 39, Paragraph 3 of the Federal Electoral Regulations
- ↑ Appendix 21 to the federal election regulations
- ↑ Section 24, Paragraph 2 of the Law on State Elections
- ↑ Art. 27, Paragraph 1, No. 4 of the law on state elections, popular initiatives and referendums
- ↑ Section 10, Paragraphs 9 to 11 of the Act on the Elections to the House of Representatives and the District Assemblies
- ↑ § 24 Paragraph 4 Electoral Law for the Brandenburg State Parliament
- ↑ Section 18 (2) of the Bremen Election Act
- ↑ Section 23, Paragraph 5 of the Law on Election to Hamburg Citizenship
- ↑ § 19 para. 3 u. Section 20 (3) of the Act on Elections to the Landtag of the State of Hesse
- ↑ Section 55 (2) of the Act on Elections in the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- ↑ § 14 para. 3 u. Section 15 (2) of the Lower Saxony State Election Act
- ↑ § 19 para. 2 u. Section 20 (1) of the law on elections to the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
- ↑ Section 34 Paragraph 3, Section 35 Paragraph 4 State Election Act
- ↑ Section 16 (5) of the State Election Law
- ↑ Section 20 (2), Section 27 (1) of the Saxon Electoral Act
- ↑ § 14 Paragraph 1, § 15 Paragraph 1 Electoral Law of the State of Saxony-Anhalt
- ↑ Section 26, Paragraph 4 of the Election Law for the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein
- ↑ § 22 para. 2 u. 3, Section 29 (1) of the Thuringian Election Act for the Landtag
- ↑ National Council election regulations 1992, Section 42 Paragraphs 2 and 3
- ↑ Articles 24 and 47 of the Federal Act on Political Rights
- ↑ Michaela Wiegel: Marine Le Pen's fear of being sent off. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . February 23, 2012.
- ↑ lov om valg til Folketinget, §12, § 26
- ↑ Kieswet, Article H 4
- ↑ Algemeen Kieswetboek / Code électoral, Art. 116
