Block 4

State elections change the make-up of state governments and therefore the votes in the Bundesrat. If the federal government loses its majority there, it can no longer push through laws requiring Bundesrat consent on its own and must negotiate with the opposition. The Bundestag majority is unaffected.

CSU stands for Christlich Soziale Union (Christian Social Union). It stands for election only in Bavaria, while the CDU contests all other states. In the Bundestag the two form a single joint parliamentary group, the Union group.

The second vote determines the distribution of seats in the Bundestag: a party's second-vote share sets how many seats it receives overall. The first vote only elects the constituency candidate. This is why the second vote is the politically more important one.

You may vote in a Bundestag election if you are a German citizen and at least 18 years old. For local and European elections the age limit is lower in many states, but for the Bundestag it is 18.

Germany has compulsory schooling: children must normally attend school for nine to ten years, often followed by compulsory vocational schooling. Unlike in some countries, home schooling does not satisfy this. There is no compulsory voting in Germany.

Publicly denying or trivialising the Holocaust is a criminal offence under § 130 of the Criminal Code as incitement to hatred. The penalty runs to five years' imprisonment or a fine. Freedom of expression expressly does not protect such statements.

Anyone in permanent employment automatically pays social insurance contributions: health, pension, long-term care, and unemployment insurance. They are deducted directly from gross pay. Social assistance, child benefit, and housing benefit are benefits you receive, not pay.

Members of parliament answer only to their conscience and may change parliamentary group; they keep their seat. If enough members switch, the government can lose its Bundestag majority. There is no by-election in the affected constituency as a result.

Social insurance contributions are normally split equally between employer and employee. This parity principle is a hallmark of the German welfare state; only for accident insurance does the employer pay alone.

The statutory social insurance system has five pillars: health, pension, long-term care, unemployment, and accident insurance. Life insurance is a private form of provision and is not part of the statutory system.

Trade unions represent the interests of employees: they negotiate collective agreements on pay and working hours and can call strikes. Their counterpart on the employer side are the employers' associations.

The highest general decoration of the Federal Republic is the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, colloquially the Bundesverdienstkreuz. It is awarded by the Federal President. The Patriotic Order of Merit and the title "Hero of the GDR" were East German decorations.

A "traffic-light coalition" is a government of the SPD (red), FDP (yellow), and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (green): the party colours match a traffic light. By the same logic, "grand coalition" means CDU/CSU with SPD, and "Jamaica" means black-yellow-green.

Pregnancy is not a permissible ground for dismissal. The Maternity Protection Act prohibits dismissal from the start of pregnancy until four months after the birth, once the employer knows. Prolonged illness, lateness, or private tasks during working hours can, by contrast, have employment-law consequences.

Poll workers ensure the polling station runs properly and, once polls close, count the votes publicly. They may not accompany anyone into the voting booth, and passing on interim results before polls close is prohibited.

The task of volunteer poll workers is the public counting of votes after the polling station closes. Polling cards are sent out by the municipality, and the secrecy of the ballot rules out any assistance inside the voting booth.

The Bundestag is elected for four years: a period known as the legislative or electoral term. Early dissolution is possible only in narrowly defined cases, such as after a chancellor loses a vote of confidence.

You are entitled to vote in a Bundestag election if you hold German citizenship and are at least 18. Residence or length of stay alone is not enough: EU citizens without a German passport may vote only in local and European elections.

Federal elections normally take place every four years, because the Bundestag is elected for a four-year term. Only an early dissolution of parliament can bring the date forward.

The German Bundestag is elected every four years (Art. 39 Basic Law). Early elections are only possible if the Chancellor loses a vote of confidence and the Federal President dissolves parliament: this has happened only three times (1972, 1983, 2005).

Publicly calling for the destruction of Israel is prohibited and constitutes incitement to hatred. Criticising a government's policy, debating it, or flying a flag on your own property is by contrast covered by freedom of expression.

Elections in Germany are secret: nobody may learn how an individual voted. That is why there are voting booths, opaque ballot papers, and ballot boxes. Ballot secrecy protects voters from being pressured over their choice.

The winning party is the one with the most votes: specifically the largest share of second votes, which determines the distribution of seats. The gender, occupation, or social background of voters is irrelevant, since every vote counts equally.

Voting in Germany is a right, not an obligation. Nobody has to turn out and nobody may be penalised for staying away. Some countries, such as Belgium and Australia, do have compulsory voting.

Active voting rights (aktives Wahlrecht) mean the right to vote: to cast a ballot yourself, from age 18 in a Bundestag election. Its counterpart is passive voting rights: the right to be elected.

If you are entitled to cast a vote yourself, you hold active voting rights. The term describes the entitlement to vote and has nothing to do with campaigning or electoral procedure.

A party enters the Bundestag only if it wins at least 5% of the second votes: the five-percent threshold. There is an exception: a party that wins enough constituency seats directly can enter parliament even below 5%.

Anyone can join Makkabi Deutschland, regardless of religion or background. The Jewish sports association has around 40 clubs in Germany, and a large share of its members are not Jewish. Sport here is explicitly a place of encounter.

Free means nobody may be influenced, threatened, or coerced: neither over whether to vote nor over whom to vote for. Campaigning is permitted; pressure or vote-buying is not.

Germany uses personalised proportional representation (a mix of majority and proportional voting). The first vote (Erststimme) elects a direct candidate in a constituency (majority); the second vote (Zweitstimme) chooses a party list (proportional). Seat allocation follows the second vote.