Elections and voting

• Important legislative change: 6 July 2026 – the deadline for submitting nominations for the joint municipality mayoral election has now been brought forward by two weeks
• 20 July 2026, submission of nominations by 6.00 pm (Section 21 and Sections 45a*, 45d* of the NKWG; Sections 31 to 33 of the NKWO)
• 29 July 2026: Municipal Electoral Committee to decide on the approval of candidate lists (Section 28(1) to (5) of the NKWG, Section 37 of the NKWO); immediate public announcement of the candidate lists (Section 28(6) of the NKWG)
• 2 August 2026, deadline for registration on the electoral roll (Section 16 of the NKWO)
• 3 August 2026: Start of the postal voting period and in-person voting at the town hall; start of the dispatch of polling cards
• 23 August 2026, the latest date for notifying eligible voters (Section 18 of the NKWO)
• 9 September 2026, the last day to apply for an online postal vote
• 11 September 2026, end of the postal voting period and the option to vote in person at the town hall
• 24–28 August 2026, inspection of the electoral register (Section 18(1) of the NKWG, Section 19 of the NKWO)
• 13 September 2026, Election Day
• 16 September 2026, expected start of the postal voting period for the run-off election and the option to vote in person at the town hall
• 25 September 2026, the final day of the postal voting period for the run-off election and the period for voting in person at the town hall
• 27 September 2026, polling day for the possible run-off election

If a person entitled to vote moves away from the Neuenhaus joint municipality, they are no longer eligible to vote in elections held in the Neuenhaus joint municipality.

If a person eligible to vote has moved into the Neuenhaus joint municipality from outside the area after the cut-off date – 13 June 2026 – they do not meet the three-month requirement. They are not eligible to vote in the election for the mayor of the joint municipality, the joint municipal council election or the local council election.

If a person eligible to vote moves to another member municipality within the Neuenhaus joint municipality after the cut-off date – 13 June 2026 – they lose their right to vote in the local council election. However, they will retain the right to vote in the election for the mayor of the joint municipality and the election to the joint municipal council.

If a person entitled to vote moves within the Neuenhaus joint municipality after the cut-off date for compiling the electoral register – 2 August 2026 – they may only vote at the polling station in their former electoral district or by postal vote. To vote by post, you must apply to the electoral office for a polling card and the postal voting documents.

All eligible voters will be automatically entered on the electoral roll and will receive a polling card by 23 August 2026 at the latest.

The polling card contains all the important information you need to cast your vote. In particular, it specifies the location of your designated polling station and the elections in which you are eligible to vote.

So anyone who has not received a polling card but believes they are eligible to vote should contact the electoral office immediately. Enquiries can also be made by telephone. Voting eligibility can usually be clarified in a matter of minutes with very little effort. Anyone who fails to take steps to ensure their right to vote may run the risk of being unable to vote on 13 September 2026.

Your polling card contains detailed information about your polling station. You can cast your vote there on polling day between 08:00 and 18:00.

Please check in advance whether your polling station is wheelchair-accessible, if this is important to you. You will find further details on your polling card.

Voters may also cast their vote by post if they are unable to go to the polling station on polling day.