Volt Berlin

Info for EU-Citizens

Did you know you can influence Berlin politics?

Why and how to vote in February

On the 12th of February, Berliners will vote for the Berlin House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus or AGH for short) and for the 12 district councils of Berlin (Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen or BVV for short).

As a European Union citizen you have the right to vote in the local district council elections. And there are many reasons why you should!

There are 12 districts in Berlin and their local councils make decisions about things that happen right on your doorstep. The district councils decide where to build bike lanes, which parks to refurbish and which social projects and NGOs to support. If you want to start changing your ‘kiez’ – then this is the perfect opportunity. Have a say in what is happening in your neighbourhood!

And the great thing is you only need one thing: an Anmeldung (registration of your address). If you are not yet registered in Berlin (or at your current address), you need to contact your local Bürgeramt (citizens’ office) and get registered before 12 November 2022. If you have done this, you will receive a letter confirming your eligibility to vote. That’s it!

You will receive an election notification („Wahlbenachrichtigung“) by post to your registered address in Berlin. You will receive the election notification in January. The number and address of the polling station are printed on the election notification card. 

On election day, just bring this letter together with an official proof of identity (ID card or passport) to the polling station. You will receive an orange ballot. On the ballot paper, you are only permitted to put one cross (indicating the party or voters’ association you want to vote for).

How to get involved at Volt Berlin

We would love for you to get involved at Volt in Berlin and help us to grow our pan-European movement. You can become a member of our Berlin team or, if you prefer, help shape Volt in your home country – remote working makes this possible!

If you want to support the Berlin team but have only limited knowledge of German – don’t worry! We are currently putting together a handy guide  on how to get involved in Berlin politics, both in English and in other European languages.

To find out more, or to get to know us, get in touch by e-mail at [email protected], on Twitter, or on Instagram! #JoinTheChange

As an EU citizen in Berlin, we can’t recommend highly enough getting involved in politics in the city and in your kiez. It’s your chance to help shape the city you now call home! You could join one of the many volunteer organizations or join one of the pro-European, pro-democratic parties. It’s also a  good opportunity to get out of the “international bubble” and get to know a few original Berliners!

What will Volt do for Berlin?

(excerpt from our election program)

Remember being confronted with Berlin bureaucracy for the first time? We plan to establish a multilingual welcome desk for new arrivals to help them navigate the administrative jungle when settling into their new home.

We will extend voting rights to EU citizens, both in elections for the Berlin House of Representatives (AGH) and in Berlin-wide referendums.

We want to see public services that are simple and easy to use, e.g. digital registration and administrative procedures (incl., where possible, in English / in all European languages).

Smart City Berlin: we will support the Berlin start-up community.

Affordable housing for all!

We will support the Berlin culture and club scene and protect it from being driven out of the city centre.

We will promote multilingual courses at adult education centres, thus enabling lifelong learning for those without fluent German.

We will expand hybrid training models for migrants at adult education centres, where integration courses are combined with in-company training.

You may download our short version of the election program in English here, and in other languages here: