We voted today. Or rather, I watched people vote today.
My dear, what a disaster. ONLY 72.6% of eligible voters went to the polls, the worst showing since German democracy was instituted after WWII. (Compare that to the US result of 62% in the last election which was considered a high return.)
All in all, it's a lot simpler here. The ballot gives you TWO votes: one for the person and one for the party. That's it. Not much choice as far as I'm concerned. Voting takes approximately 3 seconds, so there's never much of a line, there's never a back up, even when 85% of the people vote! I tried to imagine how long I would have waited in line at the Lafayette Community Center if 85% of the eligible voters had turned out. But I got a headache thinking about it.
The Social Democrats (more or less like the US Democratic Party) lost 11% from the previous election, the worst showing ever; the CDU/CSU (or pretty much Republicans) lost 1% - also their worst showing ever. BUT the Free Democrats (more or less Libertarians: for lower taxes, fewer regulations) jumped to 15% which means they will be the new coalition partners for Ms. Merkel and the CDU / CSU. The Social Democrats are devastated, but frankly, I don't expect to see much change.
Except it looks like Guido Westerwelle will probably be the Secretary of State. I am not pleased.
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