As Germany heads into three state elections in September, social media is rife with claims that postal voting is insecure. These allegations, which have also surfaced during other elections, are unfounded and misleading.
In Saxony-Anhalt, where voters go to the polls on Sunday, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could make history by winning an outright majority. The state branch of the AfD has been classified by the domestic intelligence agency as a 'confirmed right-wing extremist organization.'
Mail-in voting, known as 'Briefwahl,' has become increasingly common in German elections. However, its rise has been accompanied by a wave of speculation questioning its security and integrity. DW Fact check examined a sample of claims circulating online and assessed the available evidence.
One X account using the AfD logo cited two incidents—a vote cast on behalf of an elderly woman with dementia and hundreds of voters in Magdeburg receiving duplicate ballots—as evidence of systemic flaws. However, investigations revealed these were isolated errors, not proof of widespread fraud.
A 2021 study on postal voting in German federal elections concluded that the system is secure overall. None of the incidents examined could have changed an election result by even a single seat. Election researcher Lukas Stötzer from the University of Witten/Herdecke told DW that the postal voting system works and is secure, which is why it is gaining popularity.
Claims that postal ballots are easily manipulated during counting are also false. Germany has detailed procedures governing the handling and counting of postal ballots, which take place publicly. Members of the public and party representatives can observe the process, ensuring transparency.
The 'nursing home theory,' alleging that elderly voters are pressured into voting for particular parties, has been repeatedly investigated and debunked. DW Fact check found no substantial evidence to support such claims, which are often promoted by AfD politicians.
Similar doubts have emerged in other democracies, often entangled with political battles over election legitimacy. During the 2020 US presidential election, Donald Trump repeatedly made false claims about mail-in voting, which were debunked by fact-checkers.
Stötzer warns that right-wing populist parties strategically fuel these doubts to undermine trust in democratic institutions. If repeated over time, such claims could erode public confidence in electoral processes, leading to routine challenges of unfavorable results.
Source: www.dw.com