Solingen's Mayoral Runoff Sees Low 73.3% Mail-in Ballot Return Rate
Solingen's mayoral runoff election saw an unusually low return rate of 73.3 percent for mail-in ballots. This figure is significantly lower than neighboring cities Wuppertal and Remscheid, which reported similar rates.
A total of 16,415 returned ballots were counted, with an additional 1,348 voters using their requested ballots in person. However, 6,466 eligible voters did not use their mail-in voting rights, indicating that only about one in four applicants did not return their documents.
The low return rate can be attributed to tight postal deadlines. Documents for the runoff were sent out as early as September 19, but delivery by Deutsche Post was partly delayed. This, coupled with the tendency of runoff elections to have lower turnout than main elections, contributed to the low figure. In 2015, the return rate in the runoff was 81 percent compared to 91.38 percent in the main election. The city issued replacement documents up to Saturday, September 27, 12 noon, to voters still waiting for their documents. Cities with similarly low return rates for mail-in ballots in mayoral runoff elections include Munich with approximately 20%, and Leipzig with about 22%.
The low return rate of 73.3 percent in Solingen's mayoral runoff election highlights the challenges faced in ensuring high voter turnout, particularly with tight postal deadlines and the nature of runoff elections. The city has taken steps to assist voters, but further efforts may be needed to improve participation in future elections.
