The claim
Jeder, der Wählen geht, begeht eine Straftat nach §27 StGB und leistet Beihilfe.
Original publisher’s rating
Das Bundesverfassungsgericht hat im Jahr 2012 eine damals noch nicht angewandte Fassung des Bundeswahlgesetzes für nichtig erklärt. Die Entscheidung hat keinesfalls zur Folge, dass Wählen eine Straftat ist.
Reviewed by dpa ↗ ·
Read the original fact check ↗Original review summary
The claim says that voting in Germany is a crime under §27 StGB and amounts to aiding and abetting because of a 2012 court ruling. The review explains that the ruling concerned a 2011 reform of the Federal Election Act, not voting itself; casting a ballot is not a crime.[S1]
Additional context
On 25 July 2012, the court ruled on the 2011 reform, addressing provisions on Bundestag seat allocation and the effect known as “negative vote weight.” [S1]
Research date:
Sources and attribution
- [S1] dpa original review
Original review · Retrieved October 17, 2026
Original review: dpa. Structured data compiled by Data Commons under CC BY 4.0. Publisher article content is subject to its own terms. Summaries and context are produced by PeakMetrics with AI assistance.
Updated