Herford County's 2025 Local Elections: Election Board Affirms Outcome
On Sunday, September 28, 2025, a runoff election will take place for the position of district administrator in Herford, Germany. The election is necessary as no candidate received over 50 percent of the votes in the initial election.
The two leading candidates in the first round are Mirco Schmidt (CDU) and Frank Diembeck (SPD / Alliance 90/The Greens). Mirco Schmidt garnered 43.60 percent of the votes (47,452 votes), while Frank Diembeck received 40.57 percent (44,160 votes).
Eligible voters who did not indicate postal voting for the runoff election can apply for it starting from September 15. Those who received voter notifications before the September 14 election will be valid for the runoff election. Postal voting in person for the runoff election can start from September 18.
Polling stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 28. Voters will cast their ballots at the same polling station as the first election on September 14. The ballot papers for the runoff election can only be printed after the election result has been determined by the district election committee.
In the district council election, the CDU and SPD each have 15 seats, while the AfD has 9 seats. The voter turnout was 57.38 percent in the district of Herford, with a total of 114,024 voters participating in the election for the district administrator, mayors, and city or municipal councils.
The district election committee is responsible for determining the number of eligible voters, actual voters, valid and invalid votes. The election commission's observation result for the election on September 28, 2025, relates mostly to the runoff election, with public observation rights ensured. No specific summary of the observation outcome is provided in the available sources.
It is important to note that no new voter notifications will be sent out for the runoff election. Eligible voters who did not receive a voter notification for the initial election but wish to vote in the runoff should contact their local election office to confirm their eligibility and voting location.
The runoff election in Herford is just one of many local elections taking place across Germany, with similar procedures and rules applying in each district. It is a crucial opportunity for citizens to have their voices heard and to participate in the democratic process.
