City of Jena calls for the submission of election proposals
With the announcement in the latest official gazette, the city of Jena is calling for nominations for the election of the city council, the mayor, the district mayors and the district councils. The elections will take place on 26.05.2024, with possible run-off elections a fortnight later on 9.06.2024 together with the European elections.
While individual candidates are also expressly permitted for the election of the Lord Mayor and the district mayors, nominations for the City Council may only be submitted by parties or groups of voters. The necessary formalities are described in detail in the official gazette and on the municipal website. The necessary forms for submitting election proposals can also be found here. The city's election management asks that you make an appointment to submit your nominations. This allows the proposals to be checked for completeness at the same time. All election proposals must be submitted to the city by 6 p.m. on 12.04.2024 at the latest. The election committee will meet on 23.04.2024 to decide whether the nominations are correct and therefore eligible for election based on the legal requirements.
New regulations for the election of district councillors
New regulations apply this time for the election of the other members of the district councils. Following an amendment to the city's main statutes, candidates can also indicate their year of birth and any party membership on the ballot paper. This is intended to provide voters with guidance if they do not know the candidates by name. Another new feature is that no further candidates may be entered on the ballot paper if there are fewer candidates than possible district council members. Following an amendment to the Thuringian municipal code, the number of district council members will be reduced accordingly. All districts are therefore required to nominate sufficient candidates. The procedure is simplest here, as only one eligible nominee living in the district is required.
For the election of district mayors, as in previous elections, additional names may be entered on the ballot paper if there is only one or no candidate.
Many young election workers
Chief Electoral Officer Matthias Bettenhäuser is very pleased with the number of declarations of willingness to work on an election committee that have been received so far. More than 1,400 electoral assistants have registered for the election date on 26.05.2024. It is particularly noteworthy that a large number of young people have registered. Around a third of the election workers are under 25 years old, and almost 50 of them are between 16 and 18 years old. "It's a great sign for democracy that so many young people are involved," says Bettenhäuser. "In this way, everyone can see how elections work in practice, how much effort is required for our supreme right in a democracy and how it is ensured that everyone can exercise their legal right to vote." Anyone who is still interested in being a poll worker can register, especially for the state election on September 1, 2024.
Further information:
Electoral administration, Tel.: 03641 - 49 2005 & 49 2120
Mail: wahlen@jena.de