German Elections & Voting Vocabulary
This set covers the vocabulary you need to follow a German election night or referendum, from der Wahlkreis someone runs in to die Wahlbeteiligung reported the next morning. One trap: German splits English "vote" into two different verbs, wählen (choose a candidate) and abstimmen (decide on a motion), so you can't just translate "vote" one way every time.
Learn these 17 words
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All 17 words
- wählenA2
choose, vote
Sie müssen erst eine Null wählen. — You have to dial zero first.
vote, coordinate
Lasst uns über diesen Punkt abstimmen. — Let's vote on this point.
plural: die Stimmzettel
ballot paper
Er warf seinen Stimmzettel in die Urne. — He threw his ballot into the urn.
plural: die Wahlen
choice, election
Sie haben die Wahl: mit Vollpension oder Halbpension? — You have the choice: full board or half board?
plural: die Wahlurnen
ballot box
Die Wahlurne stand im Wahllokal. — The ballot box stood in the polling station.
plural: die Abstimmungen
vote / voting
Die Abstimmung über das Gesetz findet morgen statt. — The vote on the law takes place tomorrow.
plural: die Anwärter
a contender / candidate
Der Anwärter auf das Amt war jung. — The candidate for office was young.
plural: die Kandidaturen
candidacy
Seine Kandidatur wurde von vielen unterstützt. — His candidacy was supported by many.
plural: die Referenden
referendum
Das Referendum entschied über die neue Verfassung. — The referendum decided on the new constitution.
plural: die Stichwahlen
run-off / final ballot
In der Stichwahl konkurrieren die beiden Kandidaten. — The two candidates compete in the run-off.
plural: die Stimmenthaltungen
abstention
Die Stimmenthaltung bei der Abstimmung ist möglich. — Abstention in the vote is possible.
plural: die Wahlbeteiligungen
voter turnout
Die Wahlbeteiligung war bei der letzten Wahl sehr hoch. — Voter turnout was very high in the last election.
plural: die Wähler
voter
Der Wähler hat seine Stimme bereits abgegeben. — The voter has already cast his vote.
plural: die Wahlergebnisse
an election result
Das Wahlergebnis überraschte alle Experten und Beobachter. — The election result surprised all experts and observers.
plural: die Wahlkämpfe
an election campaign
Der Wahlkampf dauerte mehrere Monate vor der Abstimmung. — The election campaign lasted several months before the vote.
plural: die Wahlkreise
constituency
Jeder Wahlkreis wählt seinen eigenen Vertreter ins Parlament. — Each constituency elects its own representative to parliament.
plural: die Wiederwahlen
re-election
Die Wiederwahl des Präsidenten war umstritten. — The re-election of the president was controversial.
How to learn this set
Most nouns here are feminine and built on Wahl or Stimme, so learn them as two families rather than 15 separate words: Wahlurne, Wahlbeteiligung, Wahlkampf, Wahlkreis, Wahlergebnis, Wiederwahl all carry Wahl-, while Stimmzettel, Stimmenthaltung, and Abstimmung all carry Stimme. Once you know Wahl means "election/choice" and Stimme means "voice/vote," the compounds practically translate themselves. Drill the two verbs wählen and abstimmen in short sentences about specific scenarios (a general election vs. a referendum) so the distinction sticks, and treat Anwärter and Kandidatur as a pair since one names the person and the other names the status.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between wählen and abstimmen?
Wählen means to vote for a person or party, like in an election (die Wahl). Abstimmen means to vote on an issue or motion, like a referendum (das Referendum) or a decision in parliament. A Wähler picks a candidate; people who abstimmen decide yes or no on a proposal.
Is die Wahl the same as election in English?
Mostly yes, but die Wahl also just means 'choice' in everyday German, unrelated to politics. Context tells you which meaning is meant, so keine Wahl haben means 'to have no choice', not 'no election'.
What does Stichwahl mean in German elections?
Die Stichwahl is the run-off or final round of voting, held when no candidate gets a majority in the first round. It's common in German presidential and mayoral elections, so the word shows up a lot in news coverage.
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