Göttingen expands barrier‑free polling stations ahead of 2026 local election

The city of Göttingen is preparing for the municipal election on 13 September 2026 by upgrading accessibility at its polling places. Of the 48 voting stations, 39 are now classified as barrier‑free, an increase of twelve locations since the 2021 election. Improvements include mobile ramps, threshold wedges, additional pictograms, and twelve mobile call‑buttons that allow voters with mobility limitations to request assistance on election day.

The Lower Saxony Data Protection Commissioner explains that parties and voter groups may legally obtain voters’ address data from municipal registration registers under the Federal Registration Act. The data may be used only for election‑related mailings, is limited to six months before the vote, and must be deleted within a month after the election. Citizens can object to the use of their data at any time, and the commissioner provides guidance on how to submit such objections.