Volunteers wanted for elections in Saxony

Voting assistants are still needed for the three elections in Saxony this year. This was the result of a survey in the three largest cities in the state. Recruitment has recently begun and a good 3,100 volunteers have already registered for each election date, as the city of Leipzig informed the German Press Agency in response to an inquiry. For the European and local elections on June 9, almost 6,000 electoral assistants are being sought, and around 5,000 for the state elections on September 1.

These figures include a reserve for short-term absences. "Experience has shown that there are always short-term absences due to illness that need to be compensated for," said a city spokesperson. In Leipzig, the principle of voluntary registration is preferred. Experience has shown that around 15 percent of Leipzig's electoral assistants are employed by the city administration or its own companies. Volunteers must live in Leipzig and be eligible to vote.

The City of Leipzig also announced that compensation of between 45 euros and 105 euros would be paid for their work. This depends on the function at the polling station and the number of elections on the day. City employees are also granted a day off. As a rule, state and federal institutions also have time-off rules.

The state capital of Dresden currently still needs around 3100 volunteers. So far, more than 2800 people have signaled their support and registered as election helpers, the city announced on request. 1100 of these are municipal employees. Experienced poll workers who have already provided dedicated support in previous elections are currently being contacted. In addition, other authorities based in Dresden have been asked for personnel support.

In Chemnitz, around 2,000 electoral assistants are needed for the European and local elections and the state elections. There are 129 general electoral boards and 60 postal voting boards to be filled. Of these, only between 40 percent (European and local elections) and 48 percent (state parliamentary elections) are currently covered by declarations of willingness, significantly more than half of which are employees of the city administration. "Consequently, the city of Chemnitz is still urgently looking for citizens who are willing to take on this electoral honorary office," it said on request.