Election of the Foreigners' Advisory Council of the City of Offenbach am Main on March 15, 2026

All foreigners (including stateless persons) who meet the following requirements on election day are eligible to vote in the Foreigners' Advisory Council elections:

• They are at least 18 years old, i.e. born on March 15, 2008 or earlier,
• They have been resident in Offenbach am Main for at least six weeks, i.e. since at least February 1, 2026

In the case of owners of main and secondary residences within the meaning of registration law, the place of the main residence is deemed to be the place of residence (Section 86 (2) in conjunction with Section 84 HGO).

Anyone who does not have the right to vote as a result of a judge's decision is excluded from the right to vote (§ 31 HGO).

An official voters' register is kept in each electoral district. Eligible voters who are registered there on the 42nd day with their main residence are entered in the register ex officio and receive a polling card at least three weeks before election day.

If you would like to be entered in the voters' register of a city or municipality in which you are not listed (e.g. because you have recently moved), you have the opportunity to apply for this up to the 21st day before the election.

Objection / correction

If you have not received a voter's notification by three weeks before the election, you should check the electoral roll at your city or municipal administration during the inspection period between the 20th and 16th day before the election to make sure that you are on the electoral roll. If the entry is missing although you believe you are entitled to vote, the register can still be corrected following your objection.

On election day, polling stations are open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. The assigned polling station is clearly printed on the polling card. The polling stations are usually located close to your main residence. For the sake of simplicity, please bring your polling card with you when you go to vote. You should also have an official form of identification ready, as the electoral board may ask you to show it. The polling card will be retained by the electoral board. If the polling card has been lost or forgotten, it is also possible to vote in the assigned polling station without a polling card. The prerequisite for this is that the person is entered in the electoral roll and an official form of identification is presented.

In Offenbach am Main, a Foreigners' Advisory Council is elected in accordance with Section 84 of the Hessian Municipal Code (HGO).

Each person entitled to vote has as many votes as there are seats on the Foreigners' Advisory Council.

In accordance with Section 5 a (2) of the main statutes of the City of Offenbach am Main, the Foreigners' Advisory Council has 25 seats.

A total of 25 votes are available to voters in the election. These can be allocated in different ways:

• Cumulate (accumulate): Several votes can be concentrated on a single candidate or party/group in order to support them.
• Panaschieren (distribute): Votes can be distributed among different candidates, parties or groups of voters.
• It is also possible to accept election proposals unchanged, to delete individual candidates from a proposal or to combine different voting options. This allows voters to cast their votes flexibly according to their personal preferences.

Pursuant to Section 86 (3) sentence 1 HGO, foreign residents (including stateless persons) who are entitled to vote and who, on the election day

• have reached the age of eighteen, i.e. were born on March 15, 2008, or earlier and
• have been resident in Offenbach am Main for at least three months, i.e. since at least December 15, 2025.

Eligible for election as a member of the Foreigners' Advisory Council under the above-mentioned conditions are also

• Germans within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law who have acquired this legal status as foreign residents in Germany or who are also foreign nationals
  (§ 86 paragraph 4 HGO).

The following arenot eligible

• in accordance with Section 32 (2) HGO, anyone who, as a result of a judge's decision, is not eligible to stand for election or to hold public office.
• Resettlers, ethnic German repatriates and persons naturalized abroad are not eligible for election, as they have already acquired the legal status of Germans within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law upon naturalization in Germany.

In accordance with Section 22 (6) of the Municipal Elections Act, a candidate may declare their renunciation of their candidacy - this must be submitted in writing to the election officer or their deputy. The declaration of renunciation is then irrevocable; this means that once declared, the candidate cannot withdraw from the renunciation at a later date.

As a consequence, the name remains on the nomination or ballot paper. In the event of an election, the next person on the list moves up (i.e. the votes for him or her are counted).

In the next section you will find a pre-prepared document which you can fill in if you do not want to or cannot accept the candidacy.