Overview
- Polling stations are open from 08:00 to 18:00 for about 7.7 million eligible voters in the first state election using a two‑vote system with newly enfranchised 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds.
- In‑person turnout at 14:00 reached roughly 41 percent, about ten points above the same time in 2021, with officials noting that more voters used mail ballots in 2021 due to the pandemic.
- Final pre‑election surveys showed CDU and Greens roughly tied near 27–28 percent as Cem Özdemir and Manuel Hagel cast ballots, with long‑serving premier Winfried Kretschmann not seeking re‑election after about 15 years.
- The AfD aims for around 20 percent and could become the largest opposition party, even as the state branch is monitored by the domestic intelligence service and other parties rule out cooperation.
- Smaller parties face pivotal thresholds, with the FDP hovering near 5 percent, the SPD polling in single digits, and Die Linke having a chance to enter the Landtag, while authorities logged isolated incidents such as prohibited campaign items in a voting booth and protests in Stuttgart.