Voting = power. That’s because being able to vote means having your say. Until now, too few voters from families who have either migrated to or sought asylum in Germany have been taking part in the country’s elections. This could be for a number of reasons: too many administrative hurdles, a process that appears overly complicated or these groups simply not being targeted by political parties. We are on a mission to change that. Germany’s new citizens should be encouraged to vote in this year’s Bundestagswahl in September, so they too can play a part in determining the country’s future. We provide useful information and digital tools as well as explain why it’s important to take part in this election and become a #wAlman.
The centrepiece of #wAIman is a multilingual app that is now available in English, Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Farsi and Russian at voteswiper.org. Wahlswiper is an app that helps users compare their views with those of political parties. Short videos are available for each of the 36 questions, explaining the respective issue. After users have answered all the questions, they are shown how their views match with the respective parties.
Milena was born in Siberia in 1990. She is an entrepreneur, author and zero-waste campaigner. In 2014 she launched the first Original Unverpackt shop (a packaging-free grocery store) in Berlin before going on to co-found a publishing company.
Shoan fled Iran and arrived as a refugee in Germany after travelling through Turkey. He became a German citizen in 2017. He is a candidate in North Rhine-Westphalia for the 2021 Bundestag election.
Ali was born in Pazarcik (Turkey). His family emigrated to Germany in 1995. As an activist, he created the #MeTwo hashtag and founded the VielRespektZentrum, which promotes diversity and mutual respect.
Hila is chair of the NGO Visions for Children, which helps children in Afghanistan and Uganda to obtain a basic education. Born in Afghanistan, Hila is a trained architect.
Hila is chair of the NGO Visions for Children, which helps children in Afghanistan and Uganda to obtain a basic education. Born in Afghanistan, Hila is a trained architect.
Hila is chair of the NGO Visions for Children, which helps children in Afghanistan and Uganda to obtain a basic education. Born in Afghanistan, Hila is a trained architect.
Germany is a democracy. Political power may only be held for a temporary period and with the consent of the people. Elected lawmakers represent the country’s citizens in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament. Elections allow you to play a part in deciding which political parties have the most influence and thus make it possible for you to have a say on what happens in the country.
It’s important to remember that choosing not to vote also has an effect on the outcome of the election as it leaves the decision to others. Not voting means not being able to have a say on which issues should be considered relevant in the future.
Initiatives, community centres and interested groups can order posters free of charge. Please let us know how many posters you require: hey@ichbinwalman.de
Why do we even need #wAlman? Because there is a lack of representation, information and, most crucially, opportunities to engage. Here is a selection of recently published articles:
Deutschlandfunk Nova
Der Aktivist Ali Can hat sich gefragt, warum es den Wahl-O-Mat nicht auch in anderen Sprachen gibt, um mögliche sprachliche Barrieren zu beseitigen. Eine mehrsprachige Version könnte bei der Wahlentscheidung helfen.
taz
Deutschland ist divers wie nie. Das ist die Kernaussage des Jahresgutachtens, das der Sachverständigenrat für Integration und Migration vorgestellt hat. Expert:innen aber fordern mehr Maßnahmen für politische Teilhabe.
