Defizite bei der Briefwahl in Deutschland – und fünf Vorschläge zur Abhilfe

Abstract

In light of the growing interest in voting by mail, political science research has increasingly focused on this important aspect of democratic participation . Studies in this field have scrutinized the practical implementation of the mail ballot . A systematic review of the lit- erature on the practice of voting by mail shows possible reforms . Five approaches are dis- cussed, (1) a more generous deadline for submitting postal votes, (2) simplifying the mail- in ballots, (3) translating them, (4) personal notifications in case of rejected mail ballots, and (5) incorporating data about rejected mail ballots into the official election results . In this way, the number of erroneous votes can be reduced and more transparency about the voting process can be secured . It is also required as a measure of citizen-oriented public administration