“7,938 citizens have applied for an absentee ballot so far,” says Election Director and City Councilmember Michael Tacke, “The option to vote by mail has been very well received. At this point, we’ve actually received more applications than we did during the same period leading up to the 2025 Bundesstagswahl. That’s an encouraging sign.” A total of 75,230 eligible voters are registered on the city’s voter rolls.

Since August 10, anyone who applies for an absentee ballot can not only have the materials mailed to their home but also vote directly at the absentee voting offices and cast their ballots on-site. To ensure that all applications are processed promptly and the materials are mailed out as quickly as possible, the team responsible at the City of Salzgitter’s Department of Citizen Services, Foreigners’ Affairs, and Elections is working at full capacity. Incoming applications are processed no later than the following business day.

Thousands of absentee ballot applications, more than 500 candidates, and over 1,000 election workers

But the work surrounding the municipal and mayoral elections began months before the mail-in voting offices opened. “An election requires a great deal of preparation. Among other things, candidate nominations must be reviewed, ballots must be prepared and printed, polling places must be organized, and election workers must be recruited and trained. These are just a few examples of the many tasks that must be completed in advance. We are well prepared and now hope for a high voter turnout among our citizens,” adds Tacke.

The sheer scope of the process of reviewing the submitted nominations is illustrated by the number of candidates: a total of 503 candidates are running. Six people are running for the office of mayor of the city of Salzgitter. A total of 227 people are running for the City Council, and 270 for the local councils within the city limits.

Numerous people will also be on duty on Election Day itself: On Sunday, September 13, in addition to city employees, more than 1,000 election workers in the 100 polling districts throughout the city will ensure that voting and the subsequent vote count proceed smoothly.