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Jump into local politics: Why three want to get involved!
Local elections in Bavaria on March 8, 2026: Engagement in politics and the challenges of finding candidates in Main-Spessart.
Jump into local politics: Why three want to get involved!
The local elections are just around the corner in Bavaria: citizens can cast their votes on March 8, 2026. A look at the Main-Spessart region shows that the lists of candidates are already filling up. But despite the regular preparations, there are still some gaps among volunteers who want to get involved in local politics. An important point that the Main-Post editorial team picked up in their discussions with three committed people. These reports provide an impressive insight into the personal motivations and commitment behind this important social task. Main-Post reports that ...
The three protagonists talk about their reasons for taking action. They describe the time invested and the benefits that their commitment brings both to the communities and to themselves. It becomes clear that the motivation results from a deep interest in shaping one's own community. “You can just see that something is going on,” says one of the interviewees. This personal commitment is essential to keeping democratic processes alive.
The electoral system in Bavaria
How does it all work? The seats are distributed according to the Sainte-Laguё/Schepers calculation method. The total number of votes for the constituency proposals are divided by the odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. The seats are allocated to the nominations according to the highest division numbers. If there is a tie in votes when there are equal claims to a seat, the higher number of votes of the person in question will decide - or, if these are also the same, by lot. An example from a municipality with 7,000 inhabitants illustrates what the result could look like: Stmi reports that ...
| Party/voter group | Votes cast | Distribution of seats |
|---|---|---|
| A party | 20,554 | 9 |
| B party | 8,712 | 4 |
| C party | 8,270 | 3 |
| D voter group | 9,177 | 4 |
| E-voter group | 789 | 0 |
In addition, voters in Bavaria also have the option of removing candidates from a party list if they do not want certain people in the local council. This ensures that the voters' votes are used in the best possible way. This is particularly important to save remaining votes: Voters can distribute their votes to the first eight candidates on a list. In smaller municipalities, however, the ballot paper could only contain one valid election proposal, which simplifies the distribution of votes. BR informs that ...
Regardless of the formal processes, one thing is certain: voting and involvement in local politics are essential for the local community. It will be exciting to see what the lists will look like on election day and who will ultimately face the challenges of local politics.