Referendum

A referendum in accordance with Section 21 of the Baden-Württemberg Municipal Code (GemO BW) is a direct democratic instrument that enables citizens to vote directly on certain municipal matters.

The referendum will be held together with the state election on Sunday, March 8, 2026. The polling stations are open from 08:00 to 18:00.

The following question is put to the vote:
“Are you in favor of developing the special landing site (airfield) into an industrial estate in Offenburg?”

At its meeting on November 10, 2025, the municipal council of the city of Offenburg decided by 31 votes to 8 to hold a referendum on the question “Are you in favor of developing the special landing site (airfield) into an industrial estate within Offenburg’s boundaries?” .

All German citizens and citizens of the European Union who are at least 16 years old on election day, have had their main residence in Offenburg for at least three months or usually reside there and are not excluded from the right to vote are entitled to vote.

In addition to nationality and the minimum voting age, eligibility to vote in a referendum is also linked to the main place of residence or habitual abode. As the referendum involves voting on matters within the municipality’s sphere of influence, which are thus submitted to the citizens of Offenburg for a decision, only Offenburg residents are called to vote.

No, all those entitled to vote will automatically receive a voting notification by February 15, 2026, provided they are entered in the voting register.

If you have not received a voting notification by February 15, 2026, please contact the staff of the electoral office at
wahlen@offenburg.de 0781/82-2060.

Voting by post is also possible for the referendum in the same way as for state elections.
Postal voting documents can be requested using the form on the voting notification, via the QR code on your voting notification or online. The link will be activated as soon as possible. A telephone application is not permitted by law.

The mailing of postal voting documents is expected to begin at the end of January/beginning of February.

You can find all information about the committee meetings of the City of Offenburg on our citizen information portal at: https://ratsinfo.offenburg.de/buergerinfo/info.php

You have one vote and vote YES for the development of the special landing site (airfield) into an industrial estate in Offenburg and NO against.

The question put to the vote in the referendum must always be aimed at a specific decision that can be answered with “yes” or “no”. This follows from the principle of clarity and unambiguousness of democratic votes and is also reflected in Art. 26 para. 5 of the state constitution.

The public determination of the voting results in the form of the counting of the votes cast will take place after the polling stations close at 18:00 after the counting of the votes cast in the state parliamentary election has been completed. The provisional result is expected on the evening of the election, the municipal election committee will determine the final result at a later date.

§ 21 para. Section 7 of the Municipal Code of Baden-Württemberg (GemO) stipulates that the question posed in a referendum is decided in the sense in which it was answered by the majority of valid votes, provided that this majority is at least 20 percent of those eligible to vote. In the event of a tie, the question is deemed to have been answered with “No”. If the majority of at least 20 percent of those entitled to vote has not been reached, the municipal council must decide the matter. If the required majority is not reached, the municipal council must decide on the matter.

The result of the referendum has the effect of a municipal council resolution and is therefore binding for the City of Offenburg. The resolution can only be amended by a new referendum within a period of three years.