Overview
- The civic group Mehr Demokratie reported a short-term drop in new state petition drives in 2024–2025, with seven Volksbegehren versus an average of 11.4 per year.
- In German states, a drive starts as a Volksinitiative, moves to a Volksbegehren if enough signatures are verified, and ends with a public vote called a Volksentscheid if lawmakers reject it.
- In Brandenburg the report counted 59 Volksinitiativen and 15 Volksbegehren since 1946, which places the state third nationwide for activity.
- Brandenburg has never reached a Volksentscheid from a Volksbegehren, and the group blamed a ban on free signature collection that keeps many efforts from meeting the required totals.
- New pushes launched in 2026, including a revived “Schule satt!” for free school meals and “Unterricht statt Ausfall” on teaching quality, follow a 2024 bid that was rejected on formal grounds.