ADVERTISING
Postal voting starts in mid-August – Youth Affairs Officer Akdeniz emphasizes the importance of participation
Darmstadt. For the first time, Darmstadt will elect a youth assembly . From July 26 to September 26, 2025 , over 8,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 are eligible to vote by mail . The city reports that 37 candidates approved for the election – they are vying for 25 seats on the new participatory body.
Mayor and Head of Youth Affairs Barbara Akdeniz emphasizes the importance of the new format:
“With the Youth Plenum, we are opening up a new opportunity for young people to get involved in politics. They want to be heard and taken seriously – their commitment strengthens our democracy and will provide important impetus for political decisions.”
Voting by mail: up to 37 votes possible
From mid-August, the electoral office a large, green envelope containing the postal voting documents. Completed ballots can postage-free until September 26th . Each eligible voter has up to 37 votes , but only one vote per candidate .
An overview of all 37 applicants with photos and short descriptions is available on the Youth Forum website:
👉 www.jugendforum-darmstadt.de
Additional places will be allocated by lottery
In addition to the 25 elected young people, the Youth Parliament will be supplemented by another 20 randomly selected members . These will be determined by lottery at 18 youth centers between July 26 and September 26. Lottery slips are available on the Youth Forum's website and can be submitted at the respective youth centers.
On September 30th, Mayor Akdeniz will draw two young people from each district by lot. The drawing will be live on Instagram :
👉 @damit_darmstadt
, two representatives of the city student council are appointed.
Youth Council supports – participation as the key to democracy
Aaron Becker , chairman of the Darmstadt Youth Council, is delighted by the great interest:
"The high number of applications shows that the city urgently needed such a participatory format. We look forward to the collaboration and to supporting young people in implementing their ideas."
The coordination and support of the new committee is provided by the Youth Education Center within the Youth Welfare Office and the Darmstadt Youth Council . The concept was previously developed in an extensive participatory process together with young people.
(Darmstadt - Red/PSD/DK)
