Runoff election in NRW: Everything voters need to know now!

Runoff election in NRW: Everything voters need to know now!

Today, September 28, 2025, an important event is taking place in North Rhine-Westphalia: The runoff election for the election of mayors, mayors and district administrators will take place in 147 municipalities. A look at the background and processes shows that voters should be well prepared.

The runoff elections became necessary because no candidate was able to achieve the required majority of over 50 percent of the valid votes in the main election on September 14th. Only two mayoral positions were decided in the first round of voting, in Hamm and Herne. This year, the strongest candidates are competing against each other in cities such as Aachen, Cologne, Bonn and Düsseldorf. 21 independent cities and 15 districts also failed to achieve a majority, which explains the high number of runoff elections. The increase in runoff elections compared to the 2020 local elections is remarkable – there were 128 runoff elections back then. This is partly due to greater fragmentation in the party landscape and a larger number of candidates, which has made it more difficult to form a majority.

Important information about voting

Voters can use the same documents for the runoff election as for the main election. However, it should be noted that people who became eligible to vote after September 14, 2025 are not allowed to take part in the runoff election. No new election notification will be sent out; the original one still applies, and the election will take place in the same polling stations as in the main election. If you no longer have a voting card, you can vote with a valid ID card, passport or ID card.

The following applies to postal voting: Anyone who has submitted an application for postal voting for the main election will not automatically receive documents for the runoff vote. A new application must be submitted to the responsible municipality, either on site, by post, email or online in many cities such as Cologne. The application for postal voting can be submitted until September 26, 2025, 3 p.m. For those who decide at short notice, it is also possible to apply for a postal vote at the election office directly on election day - and in cases of illness even until Sunday at 3 p.m. However, it is advisable to ensure that the voting letters are received by the mayor by 4 p.m. on election Sunday at the latest, otherwise they will not be counted.

Runoff election: process and results

The election in North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the decisive votes in which the highest number of valid votes is decisive. If there is a tie, a lottery will be used to decide who will win. A total of 111 mayors will stand for election. So anyone who has the opportunity to cast their vote should definitely take advantage of what democracy has to offer.

For further information and details about the process, the NRW Ministry of the Interior calls for careful planning and early application for postal voting in order to avoid unnecessary stressful situations on election day. Further information can be found at [WDR](https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/wahlen/kommunalwahlen-2025/fragen- Answeren-stichwahl-oberbuergermeister-buergermeister-landrat-100.html), NRW and Tagesschau.