The process of digital decision making is one of the research goals of the program Digital Democratic Innovations (DDI). During the snap election to the German Bundestag in February 2025 we conducted an online-survey to collect data from election officials throughout the country. Regarding the biggest challenges two aspects stood out: the success story of “in-person absentee voting” (“Direktwahlstellen”) and the problems for Germans living abroad to make their voice heard. From this outset, we identify the process of “absentee voting” as a possible field of innovation in organizing the electoral process. Taking into account current examples of computer-supported or online voting in the US, Switzerland, or Estonia, we present various options for designing new modes of voting and discuss future perspectives for Germany.
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