Overview

• Polling stations are open from 8:00 to 18:00 for about 13.7 million eligible voters to choose mayors, councils and other local offices across 396 municipalities and 31 counties.
• Postal voting has surged in many cities—around 33% in Cologne, 29% in Münster, 28% in Aachen, 26.5% in Dortmund and 24% in Essen—with late ballots required to be delivered to municipal drop boxes or election offices by 16:00 on Sunday rather than mailed.
• Pre-election surveys pointed to AfD gains toward roughly 14–15% compared with 5.1% in 2020, though the party’s impact is limited by sparse slates, including mayoral candidates in only 86 of 373 county-affiliated municipalities.
• Berlin is closely watching the results, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the CDU will assess outcomes to refine campaign themes and confront the AfD on issues.
• First projections are expected after 18:00, and runoffs for mayor and district chief posts are scheduled for 28 September if no candidate surpasses 50%.