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Berlin Election Runs Smoothly, State Election Chief Says

His assessment signals that fixes after the 2021 failures have held up during the 2026 Abgeordnetenhaus vote.

Overview

  • State election chief Stephan Bröchler said Sunday he was very satisfied and that the Abgeordnetenhaus election proceeded without major problems.
  • Bröchler reported small, local glitches, including two janitors not showing up which required a locksmith to open a polling station.
  • Some election board members called in sick and in one case first-time young voters briefly lacked ballots before staff resolved the issue on site.
  • Bröchler gave the assessment to RBB and the account was carried by dpa and outlets such as Stern and Der Tagesspiegel to reassure voters after the 2021 failures.
  • The smooth 2026 vote, following a trouble-free repeat election in 2023, suggests administrative reforms have largely worked but officials say staffing gaps remain a local vulnerability to watch.