Dear colleagues,


Thank you for using our products for the 2025 German Federal Election. This document addresses frequently asked questions regarding the application of our services.

CONTENTS

Results

When will results be available?

The President has set the election day for Sunday, February 23, 2025.


What results will be published?

  • Exit polls and projections (sources: ARD, ZDF) for the nationwide result
  • Official results with the source "Die Bundeswahlleiterin" for all German constituencies and the nationwide result (final results only)


What sources do we use?

  • Official results: Die Bundeswahlleiterin (The Federal Returning Officer)
  • Projections and forecasts: ARD and ZDF
  • Surveys: Institutes like Forsa, INSA, Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, Infratest dimap


Are there pre-election surveys?

Yes, we publish daily updated data from standard polling institutes. The latest surveys and trends are displayed.


When will exit polls and projections be released?

Exit polls: From 6:00 p.m. (CET) on election day

Projections: Subsequently, based on the first counts


Which parties are included in the forecasts and projections?

ARD (Infratest dimap) and ZDF (Forschungsgruppe Wahlen) may present exit polls and projections differently. The broadcasteres decide on which parties are displayed, and they may change the displayed parties between exit polls and projections. Our editorial team captures the data available from each broadcaster. We assume the following:

  • ARD: CDU and CSU are displayed separately and combined
  • ZDF: CDU and CSU are displayed combined
  • Both broadcasters display FDP and BSW separately, though they might categorize them under "Other"


How are parties with low percentage scores displayed?

Depending on available space, our widgets consolidate parties with low percentages into the "Other" category. Customers can use the parameter maxParties=all to show all available parties and activate a horizontal scroller. This process is described in our ReadMe file.


Are official trend results published?

  • For constituencies: No, as "Die Bundeswahlleiterin" does not publish these
  • For the entire country: No, only the preliminary official results will be available


When will the first official results be available?

Die Bundeswahlleiterin only publishes results for fully counted constituencies. We will share these after verifying the initial data flow.


When will the preliminary final result be announced?

The preliminary official result is expected to be published early Monday morning after the election.


How often are results updated?

  • Exit polls and projections: Continuously until the preliminary official result is available
  • Official results: After every new publication by Die Bundeswahlleiterin


Are constituency results available?

Yes. Die Bundeswahlleiterin provides results for fully counted constituencies, and we publish these after verification.


Are borough results available?

No. We only publish results at the congressional level, not for individual boroughs.


When will the seat distribution be published?

  • Exit polls and projections: ARD and ZDF will release seat numbers starting at 6:00 p.m. on election day
  • Official seat distribution: After the preliminary official result is announced


Information: The official seat distribution and the directly elected members of constituencies can only be determined with the preliminary official result due to the new federal election law and the so-called second-vote coverage rule.


When will absolute votes and the official voter turnout be published?

With the preliminary official result.


How does the electoral reform affect seat distribution?

Seats are allocated to parties based on their second-vote results. Constituency winners receive seats first, starting with candidates having the highest share of first votes in their state. Remaining seats are distributed according to the party's state list.


New: A constituency winner only receives a seat if their party has enough second votes (second-vote coverage). Otherwise, the constituency remains unrepresented. Independent candidates win directly with the most first votes.


Does the 5% threshold apply?

Yes. Parties must receive at least 5% of valid second votes nationwide to gain seats in the Bundestag. This threshold does not apply to national minority parties. Additionally, parties can qualify via the basic mandate clause.


Does the basic mandate clause apply?

Yes. A party with less than 5% of second votes can still enter parliament if it wins at least three constituencies directly.


Do constituency winners always enter the Bundestag?

No. Candidates who win a constituency but belong to a party that fails the 5% threshold and secures fewer than three direct mandates do not enter the Bundestag. Such constituencies remain unrepresented.


Do independent constituency winners enter the Bundestag?

Yes. Independent candidates who win a constituency enter the Bundestag. The second-vote coverage rule does not apply in this case.

Widgets

How do the widgets work?

Technical details can be found in this guide and ReadMe.


What happens to the widgets on election day?

On election day, data will switch to live results at 5:45 p.m. Re-embedding is not required.


Note: On the setup page, you can choose whether to display surveys or live results. This allows surveys to remain visible in articles focused on pre-election data.


Do I need new embed codes?

No, existing embed codes apply to both survey and live data.


When are surveys removed from the widgets?

Survey data is deactivated at 5:45 p.m. on election day. Until live results are available, the comment "No data available yet" will be displayed.


What widgets are available?


Before the election - Survey History

  • Current status and trends of political sentiment in Germany
  • Includes polling data from various institutes


Before the election - Direct election question

  • Displays the current popularity of various chancellor candidates based on surveys


Before the election - Satisfaction with politicians

  • Shows satisfaction levels with various politicians according to surveys


Before the election - Satisfaction with the government

  • Displays satisfaction levels with the government based on surveys


Before the election and election night - Distribution of Votes

  • Pre-election: Party popularity percentages based on surveys
  • Election night: Live results (exit polls and projections) in percentage terms per party, depending on the selected source


Before the election and election night - Distribution of Votes (horizontal)

  • Pre-election: Displays survey results and vote shares from the 2021 Bundestag election
  • Election night: Live results based on the chosen source, lighter bars showing the previous election results



Before the election and election night - Distribution of Votes - Gains/Losses

  • Pre-election: Shows party gains/losses in percentage points based on surveys
  • Election evening: Displays gains/losses based on exit polls and projections, comparing to the 2021 Bundestag election


Before the election and election night - Seats

  • Before the election: Displays the seat distribution of parties based on the latest polls
  • On election night: Shows exit polls and projections from ARD and ZDF
  • Important: Official results will only be displayed in this widget after the preliminary official results are announced
  • Note: Due to the electoral reform, seat gains or losses are not shown. The size of the parliament has been reduced from 735 to 630 members


Before the election and election night - Coalitions

  • Interactive compilation of coalitions by the user
  • Party list at the bottom of the widget: Select the desired parties
  • Pie chart at the top of the widget: Displays whether the selected coalition achieves an absolute majority
  • Seat distribution before the election: Based on current polls
  • Seat distribution on election night: Exit polls and projections from ARD and ZDF
  • Important: Official results are only available after the announcement of the preliminary official results


Before the election and election night - Distribution of Votes + Seats

  • Combines vote shares (left side of the widget) and seat distribution (right side of the widget)
  • Before the election: Polling data for parties and seat distribution based on surveys
  • On election night: Live results according to forecasts and projections from ARD and ZDF
  • Official results: After the announcement of the preliminary official results
  • Note: Due to the electoral reform, we do not show seat gains or losses, as the parliament has been reduced from 735 to 630 representatives


Before the election and election night - Distribution of Votes + Gains/Losses

  • Combines vote shares (left side of the widget) and gains/losses (right side of the widget)
  • Before the election: Vote shares and gains/losses according to polls (compared to the 2021 federal election)
  • On election night: Results in percentages and gains/losses based on exit polls and projections
  • Official results: After the announcement of the preliminary official results

Election night - Constituency results

  • On election night: Live data for fully counted constituencies
  • Source: Die Bundeswahlleiterin
  • Visualization of the leading party per constituency (color-coded)
  • Click on a constituency: Displays first and second votes as well as leading candidates
  • Won direct mandates: After the announcement of the preliminary official results
  • Note: The official seat distribution and directly elected representatives in the constituencies can only be determined after the preliminary official results due to the new federal electoral law and the so-called second-vote coverage system


Election night - Constituency results - compact

  • Compact map view of constituency results without detailed views for individual constituencies


Election analysis - Voter migration

  • Inflow and outflow of voter shares for each party based on post-election surveys


Election Analysis - Majorities in the constituencies

  • Top: Gains and losses of parties in first and second votes (compared to the previous election)
  • Bottom: List of direct mandates gained or lost by each party to or from other parties


Election Analysis - Results of individual constituencies (select under "Settings")

  • Results of individual constituencies based on official live data
  • The desired constituencies can be selected and compiled under settings


Election Analysis - Party strength

  • Map view of second votes won per constituency
  • Darker shades indicate higher second vote share for the selected party
  • Selection of the desired party is available at the top of the widget

Data API

Can I access all data via an API?


In addition to providing surveys and results through our graphical widgets, all Bundestag election data is also available via an API. Detailed information is outlined in this document: https://dpaq.de/5jh9Ypc.

Simulations

Are there simulations of the election?


Yes. We test the publication of results starting three weeks before the election, every Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. (CET). Additional information, along with a detailed simulation schedule, will be sent to you in advance via email.

Procedure Description

A general description of the procedures for dpa-infocom products can be found here: https://dpaq.de/XEZnB4D.

Data Protection

Our data protection information can be found here: https://dpaq.de/cfQugWY.

Contact

Have further questions?


You can reach us Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. via our service desk: