We’re a month away from Germany’s big day and eligible voters have begun to receive their election notifications. Understanding the basics of how an election works is obviously helpful, but it is vital that you know who, or what, you’re voting for. Are you voting for a party? A person? What about bills?

In this episode, Kai Wegrich, a professor for Public Administration & Public Policy at The Hertie School in Berlin, joins Jill and Julia to explore the history of voting in Germany, the difference between elections to the Bundestag (Germany's federal parliament), the Landtags (states), and local elections, and the role that mayors play in the country. We also get into what to do when you receive your Wahlbenachrichtigung (election notification), how to fill out a ballot, how postal voting works and much more.

Thank you Kai for chatting with us, Pirate Studios for making our recordings possible, and Epidemic Sound for the theme song.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, help us make that happen by donating to our PayPal. The linked account is info@bearradio.org - all donors will receive a virtual hug and a loving shoutout in the next episode.

Our theme song is City Phases by John Abbot, also featuring audio from Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Welle (2), Deutsche Welle (3) and TLDR News EU.

More information on each episode (descriptions, titles) and transcripts available at bearradio.org/september-26