You can't frigging move for posters in the GBV like.
Any of yous voting?

i will be. first time!
same in neuhausen.
not sure whom to yet. i thought ude but i am starting to think his ego is getting in his way of doing what's best for munich. will see.

Depends. do I have to register with another amt or am i automatically registered when i anmeld?

If you are eligible you will automatically be sent a Wahlberechtigung.
However I think it unlikely that a resident of Erding will be able to vote in Munich.

I always vote in elections I am eligible for.

Oops - didn't engage brain. Still, it's always nice to know that I don't have to go and register again to vote over here. Now all i need to do is register to vote as an ex-pat back in blighty...

I have voted in the local elections in the past, but we're moving outside München Stadt and it will be touch-and-go whether we're in the new place long enough to be eligible for the elections there.

Hi,

Can anyone tell me if it is compulsory for an EU citizen to vote in the local elections? I received a Wahlbenachrichtigung in the mail, but, have no desire to vote.

Many thanks.

It is not compulsory.
Why don't you want to vote then? Anarchist? Plenty of different parties to choose from.

It's not compulsory but maybe you should take a look at what they are saying cos it might affect you as a furriner.

Talk to Monkstown, he seems to have a handle on it.

As if by magic:

SPD - Social democrats.
CSU - Christian democrats with a "local" touch.
FDP - Pro invididual liberties and more unrestricted economy
Green - Environmental and personal liberties
Links - Socialist
Rosa (Munich Only) - Lesbian and gay list
ÖDP - Environmental but more conservative than Greens
Freie Wähler (second largest group in bavaria) - Local independents

Oooooh the politician handbags are flying already!

Story in the SZ that the Greens strictly rebuffed a coalition offer from the Linkspartei.
But the Linkspartei claim they never made one and accuse the Greens of looking for way to enter a coalition with the CSU if they have to.

All we need now is for Ude to come out as gay and errrrrrrm...

Just to week to go and the SPD and Greens are having jitters:

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/artikel/97/159664/

One could alsmost like "Septic" Schmidt for laying into the arrogant fucks!

I'll be voting

SPD and Rosa Liste

I will be voting too. I have been in Munich for a long time, and was always to lazy to vote, but I have had it with all the "criminal foreigners" bullshit.

Basically anybody registered ("angemeldet") as resident in Munich can vote - foreigner or not.

If we all get out there and vote on Sunday then I think it will make a difference. It did in Hessen.

EU Citizens only.
I read in one party's programme thought that they want in the long term the right to vote for EVERYONE who lives in Germany long term.

So, who's the furriner friendly party should i drag my arse out to vote?

Of the five major parties standing:

CSU
FDP
Grüne
Linke
SPD

I would say the latter 4 are furriner friendly.

Was interested to read quad's post, anybody know what he meant by furriners voting made a diff in Hessen?

The voters in Hessen (German Citizens only) didn#t buy the CDU anti foreigner bullshit is what he means.
Quite often we think that Germans fall to easily for anti-"foreigner" sentements but that isnt necessarily the case.

Reading betwen the lines then from your Hamburg posting and this then, our votes are likely to have the most impact against the CDU/CSU if cast for the SPD?

Your vote is always valid in Munich as even the tiniest parties get in the council if they clear 1,25% of the vote.
I'll not let me do the argument but the very respected regular poster here Gideon.
He says he'd generally vote for the CSU for their policies.
But he can't bring himself to do so becasue of their campaigns against "furrins".

That leaves 4 other mainstream parties to choose from or you can mix and match (panschieren usw) anyway.

I'm definitely interested in voting especially since receiving the 'PRO München' paper and in protest against all this anti-foreigner rhetoric.

I see from the muenchen.de Test Ballot Paper that it is not as difficult as I first thought, but should the back of the Wahlbenachrichtigung be filled beforehand or is this only for postal votes?
(I'll check with a German work colleague tomorrow, anyway)

If you intend to vote in person just go to the polling station with the paper and a photo ID.
You only need to fill in the back if applying for a postal vote.

Voting itself isn't that complicated IF you have decided in advance how you would like to vote.
If you've given no thought to it, a ballot paper of a square metre can be intimidating.

The word on the street is that the SPD and the Greens are worried about their majority on the council.
If you are entitled to vote, a single ballot could make a difference.

You could put the knife into them by voting CSU, FDP or Linke - or you could support them.
But every vote counts in the Munich election on Sunday, whoever you vote for.

there are 3 votes.
1 for the maire
1 for Stadtrat (city council). 80 votes which you can split any way you want really. give 80 individuals votes, one party vote for all etc.
1 for Bezirksrat, votes depend on your area, ie Neuhausen is 40 votes. same options as for Stadtrat.

How about letting people make up their own minds, MT (based on the issues)? Or are you a English version of eurovol? At any rate, I think those worries are overblown and are just being used to scare supporters into showing up to vote.

What part of "you could knife them (the Greens and SPD) by voting CSU, FDP or Linke or support them" doesn't let people make up their own minds?

I've explained the ways voters can cast their ballots for various parties.
I myself am going to be voting for candidates of at least three parties and doing a bit of the old häufeln and streichen.

I think it's important that those TTers who are entitled to vote do so, whoever you vote for.

There is always hyperbole, but it is certainly VERY possible that SPD-Greens will lose their majority on the city council on Sunday

[img]http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/catherinertate.jpg[/img]

Am I bovvered??

To be honest, I dont really give a twaddle about the local elections, I wish they'd get them over and done with to take down their bloody messing posters and boards across the town. I pay my taxes, I'm greatful for being given the chance to choose, but as an apaethic bastard I cant be arsed.

If voting is so important, could I auction off my vote on ebay?

Look at the ballot, does it look bovvered?

Agreed to a large extent Pootle, I am WELL tired of it.
But state elections in the Autumn and federal elections next year as well innit.

I don't agree. I am not entitled to vote and wish I was.

Ahh yeah, those are the meaningful ones where I dont get to vote (to the best of my knowledge)

Pay tax, keep nose clean and as long as no nutters get in great

but surely pootle since you are (unfairly) barred from national elections here you should make the most of your opportunity to vote in local elections?

Me I see it as important to vote for my party of choice plus the Rosa Liste.

And even better if you get to vote for stuff you don't have to pay for

Not sure if any of us can vote in New Zealand but i'm sure Katrina has the facts eh?

eh? I pay my taxes here. What's your point?

Scarily, BTC and i agree yet again.

Not everyone pays tax but some may still vote. That simple.

Individual views are always valid though not statistically relevant, eh?

In a tight election, every vote counts and people who do not have direct financial responsibility (i.e. it ain't their tax money) may be more likely to vote for things because they are just plain cool (e.g. Transrapid). Especially when the size of that electorate isn't as small as many would think.
So if you feel strongly one way or another, go and vote, it doesn't hurt, doesn't take long and could actually achieve something.

ONE vote from ONE TTer could make a difference.

On Sunday (SZ as source) they will count the votes that are purely for a party which is the majority of ballots cast.
On Monday they will count the papers that are split.
The SZ said today that the smaller parties gain from that second round.

Okay guys and gals, time to stop whingeing about transrapids and anti-smoking the like and get out there and make your votes count (as much as it ever can count).
I'm off now. I may be gone for some time.

I'm just off out to vote now too and have been boning up on just how complicated the procedure is

Not sure who you are referring to. All residents in Germany who are EU citizens and have registered an address here in Germany are entitled to vote. Those same people will be sent Lohnsteuerkarten and be expected to pay tax here too.

Unless you are referring to the super rich who hide all their euros in Leichtenstein

BTC, she may be referring to people who are unemployed, regardless of which EU Member State in which they are a citizen. Yes, they do pay, at a minimum, the MwSt.

Speaking of issues affecting foreigners, although it's a federal issue, I'm surprised no UK citizen has complained about the Schaüble plan to fingerprint all non-EUers resident in Germany. Or do you only complain about policies directed a foreigners that affect you as personally as UK citizens?

If I criticised every awful idea that comes from Mr Stasi 2.0 I'd never be off posting here and I don't have the time!

[img]http://n2000.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/dsc00023.jpg[/img]

The notion that EU Citizens here only oppose stuff done by the government or the German political (centre)-right against foreigners when it also applies to them is simply NOT the case.

Deportation of convicted criminals
Compulsory language issues
Voting rights
Access to health care for illegal migrants
Asylum for gays fleeing Iran
The sendling mosque

are just the first half dozen examples that spring to mind that I have commented on.

While we're on the topic, MT, perhaps you would be willing to give a very brief synopsis of your positions on the issues you enumerated?
Going to vote at 12

EDIT: one other unrelated thought, MT. If the unions salivate at the thought of getting their hands on what they say are record corporate profits, why don't they initiate proposals for profit-sharing agreements?

As can see, EU Citizens certainly have an opinion on issues primarily effecting non-EU Citizens:

Deportation of convicted criminals
--> Long term residents in Germany who commit crimes are Germany's problem, whatever their citizenship on paper

Compulsory language issues
--> Language skills are key to realising your full potental in society.
Especially important for women who are threatened by isolation.
Should be accessable extra language support for migrants to improve their German language skills.
Compulsion is not the way forward and is illogical.

Voting rights
--> I am in favour of the right to vote in all elections for all long tem residents.

Access to health care for illegal migrants
--> Whatever your residency status, legal or not, health care is a human right.

Asylum for gays fleeing Iran
--> Iran has a repressive government and a repressive society. It executes homosexuals.
I support their right to apply for asylum in Germany.

The Sendling mosque
--> The SPD-Green city council was arrogant and tricky in how they handled the planning permission issue for the mosque.
Nevertheless, the total opposition to the revised plans for the mosque are a convenient smokescreen for racists and fascist to operate.
The mosque should be built.

Okay job done, votes cast. All 112 of them
Can I join in the whingeing again now please?

I am not sure the unions want to get "their" hands on record profits.
I think the left in general thinks that companies, as opposed to low to middle income indicviduals, should be shouldering more of the tax bill, to provide social goods.

Profit sharing schemes for employees are a double edged sword.

As I understand it we have 80 votes. So we can tick 80 candidates or tick on a whole party in one go.
I guess I'll just tick a whole load of people and try to avoid one of those naughty parties who want foreigners out. Whichever they are.