ABSTRACT
To write about local elections in Germany is to write about elections in 16 different local government systems due to the country’s federal structure, in which the state governments define the structure and functioning of their local government systems. Interstate differences with regard to local electoral systems, local party systems, and turnout exist despite converging trends in the main institutional settings during the 1990s. But several trends may be observed in all states: institutional changes indicate a shift from a more party-oriented toward a more citizen-oriented way of local policymaking, and turnout for local elections has declined sharply (at least up until 2015). At the same time, local party systems have become more fragmented, with national parties losing ground in local council elections. Whether these trends indicate a depoliticization and marginalization of local politics within the federal system remains to be seen.
