New brochure explains the mayoral election in plain language

On Sunday, September 17, 2023, Offenbach will elect a new Lord Mayor. The people of Offenbach will decide who will hold one of the city's highest offices for the next six years.

Politics and elections are difficult topics and not directly and comprehensively understandable for everyone. For this reason, Dominik Schuster, municipal representative for the interests of people with disabilities, and Simone Lechner, coordinator of the Hessian state program WIR, have designed a brochure entitled "Die Oberbürgermeister*in-Wahl in Offenbach - Verständlich erklärt".

The brochure explains basic information about the election in easy-to-understand language. Among other things, it explains why it is so important to vote, what the duties of a mayor are, who is entitled to vote and how exactly to vote at a polling station or by postal vote. The brochure is therefore aimed at anyone who would like to obtain clear information about the election.

"By electing a new Lord Mayor, the people of Offenbach are helping to decide what happens in their city. This is an essential democratic asset to which everyone should have access. Bureaucratic or communicative hurdles should not prevent anyone from voting," says Martin Wilhelm, Head of Social Affairs. "The brochure helps to remove these hurdles and thus strengthens equal participation."

When creating the brochure, Lechner and Schuster also focused on the fact that political and social participation must be possible for all citizens on an equal footing. "When we talk about participatory justice, the main question is whether existing structures, including the provision of comprehensible information, enable everyone to participate," say Lechner and Schuster.

Their aim is to also inform people about important topics and services who are not able to read very well due to a lack of literacy, the ability to read and write, or because they have not lived in Germany for very long. They also want to reach people with cognitive impairments.

With this brochure, the city of Offenbach is expanding its range of information in simple language. The brochure is available free of charge from the Town Hall, Stadthaus and the VHS and can be downloaded as a PDF at