Food For Thought: Having A Second Election And How It Works

 This week in Germany, the Constitutional Court (their Supreme Court) reviewed a problem and agreed....for the city of Berlin, the 2021 'state' election (remember, of the sixteen German states.....3 are actual cities....not full-up states)....was crapped-up and most be held again.

So to lay this out, both a national election and a Berlin 'state' election were held in September 2021.  From the 300-odd polling stations...the vast majority had problems. 

They ranged from a shortage of ballots at stations....to logistics efforts throughout the day (held on a Sunday, with a city-wide marathon in the mix for that day).  A number of sites just shut down because they weren't able to function by the plan.  

What triggered a lot of this chaos?  Well....back in early 2021, the Covid vaccine came out, and priorities were established for a guy/gal to get vaxed-up.  Most people in Germany, under the age of fifty, weren't going to get the shot until mid-to-late summer.  However, they made a waiver up....if you volunteered to a poll-helper....you got top priority.

You can imagine this situation....bunch of folks figure out how to progress to the front of the line.  So when August came for training (for poll helpers)....a fair number of these folks sent their regrets and declined to carry out their function.

What happened in 2022?  A complete review suggested that a percentage....maybe 10-percent....maybe 20-percent of voters....were not given a chance to vote. I'm more inclined to think it was around 10-percent.

Eventually, it was taken to court, and they agreed.

So the entire September 2021 election...will be held a second time...in mid-February 2023, for Berlin. 

The odds that it could turn out radically different?  I'd give it better than a 50-percent chance.  I'll even go and suggest that only 70-percent of the people who did show up in September 2021....will come to vote this time.  This hurting the SPD and Green parties?  Yes, without any doubt.

The same issues brewing now that were brewing in September 2021?  Well....no.  There's a major refugee problem in the city presently....which wasn't there in 2021.  You can also add a major recession issue brewing.