Baden-Württemberg's Mayoral Elections: 3,159 Candidates, Voter Turnout at 52.6%

Candidate shortages and varying voter turnout highlight the need for improvements in future elections.

, and Administrator

2025 October 21 . 4:05 AM

1 min read

In the image there are many huge buildings and in front of those buildings there are few trees and... — In the image there are many huge buildings and in front of those buildings there are few trees and there is a huge crowd standing in between those trees and there are also some banners around the crowd.

Baden-Württemberg's Mayoral Elections: 3,159 Candidates, Voter Turnout at 52.6%

Baden-Württemberg's mayoral elections between 2017 and 2024 saw a total of 3,159 candidates, with an average voter turnout of 52.6%. The Statistical Office of Baden-Württemberg has recently analysed this data for the first time.

In some cases, municipalities faced a lack of candidates. Tunau, in the Lörrach district, had no candidates in September 2017, and Schönenberg faced the same issue in January 2018. Overall, 27.3% of elections had only one candidate, and on average, only 2.9 candidates ran for mayor per municipality.

Voter turnout varied greatly, from a high of 89.9% in Bollenn, with just 96 residents, to a low of 16.3% in Nagold, with 23,829 residents.

The analysis highlights the need for more candidates in future elections and encourages higher voter turnout, especially in larger municipalities. The Statistical Office's evaluation will help inform future electoral processes in Baden-Württemberg.