The election
Every vote counts
You can find all important information about postal ballots here:
Questions and answers about the mayoral election in Dresden – Our vote for the next 7 years!
When will the new mayor of Dresden be elected?
The mayoral election was held on the 12 June 2022. The second round will take place on the 10 July 2022.
The voting offices are open from 8 to 18:00 on both election days.
How long is the mayor elected for?
The mayor is elected for 7 years by all the citizens of Dresden who are eligible to vote. The upcoming mandate will therefore be until 2029.
Who elects the new mayor?
The mayor is elected by the citizens of Dresden in a general, direct, free, even and secret vote based on the principles of democratic majority.
Eligible voters are all Germans based on article 116 of the constitution and all citizens of any another member state of the European Union,
- who are 18 years old on election day,
- who have had their main residence in Dresden for at least 3 months (and are officially registered),
- and who are not excluded from voting due to other laws or regulations.
What are the duties of the mayor?
The mayor has the following duties:
- Chairperson of the municipal council, with voting rights as well as in all deciding committees,
- Head of the municipal administration with around 7,750 employees,
- Representative politically and legally of the city of Dresden
How many votes does the winning candidate need to become mayor?
The absolute majority, which is more than half of the valid ballots cast. If no candidate reaches this, a second ballot is organised where all the first round candidates are allowed to participate. In the second ballot, the relative majority is sufficient to get elected as mayor, i.e. whoever receives the most votes.
What do I need to vote?
An election voting card, which is sent by mail, as well as a passport or a national identification card. This can be demanded by the election board in cases where they might have doubts.
What do I need to vote by mail?
If you cannot or do not want to vote on election day, you can still take part in the mayoral election by postal ballot. You will need your voting papers and postal ballot to do so.
You need to apply in due time for your voting papers and postal ballot from the city of Dresden. If you apply for the first round election, you do not need to do so again for the second round. The voting papers will automatically be sent to the same address as long as the given information remains the same for the second round.
Here are the different possibilities to apply for a postal ballot:
- online at https://www.dresden.de/de/rathaus/politik/wahlen/ob-wahl/briefwahl.php
- Via email at briefwahl@dresden.de or
- In written form on the backside of your election voting card or
- In person at the postal ballot office, which will reopen on 27 June 2022 and which is accessible for people with disabilities
- Note: an application by phone is not possible.
Postal ballots for the mayoral election will be sent after their application as of 27 June 2022. You can apply until 8 July 2022 at 16:00 for your postal ballot.
On election day, you can also vote in any polling station with your voting papers. The application for voting papers can be made by someone else, but they will need a written authorization by the eligible voter to do so.
Postal ballots must be sent in duly. They must be received at the postal ballot address by election Sunday, 10 July 2022 at 18:00 at the latest. Only those ballots which will have been received in time will be considered and counted. The postal delivery is free of charge and taken care of by the Deutsche Post AG.
All information about postal ballots can also be found here:
https://www.dresden.de/de/rathaus/politik/wahlen/ob-wahl/briefwahl.php
What does the mayor of Dresden earn?
The salary is set by the Free State of Saxony’s municipal salary regulation. The head of a city of more than 500, 000 citizens receives a gross salary of 12,192.84 euros per month, salary group B9.
What were the results of the last election?
The results for the first round, which took place on 12 June 2022, can be found here: https://wahlen.dresden.de/2022/obw/index.html
All of the results as well as the voter turnout for 2015 can be found here: https://www.dresden.de/de/rathaus/politik/wahlen/ob-wahl/ergebnis.php
