Overview
- Seventeen cities in North Rhine-Westphalia are holding mail-in votes that conclude on April 19, and Duisburg alone has logged 83,200 returned envelopes, signaling robust interest.
- In NRW, a citizens’ decision is only binding if the winning side equals at least 10% of all eligible voters in big cities and 20% in smaller towns.
- A city that votes no will be dropped as a venue, but the wider Köln‑Rhein‑Ruhr bid can still move on to national consideration.
- Supporters say most venues already exist, costs would be lower than Munich’s plan, and up to 14 million tickets could be offered, while opponents warn of underestimated costs and no firm federal guarantees.
- Hamburg votes on May 31 after a split debate in its parliament, and the German Olympic committee plans to choose a national applicant on September 26.