Talk:Volkskammer

message: we have no SDP in Germany the correct name is SPD
:That's wrong: the newly founded East German Socialdemocrats called themself the "SDP" until re-union and the merger between SDP and SPD. -- till we ☼☽ | Talk 11:45, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: SDP or SPD?

message: Would anyone object if I took the info about the 1990 election, which was a legitimate contested free election, and moved it to East German election, 1990?  This article should be about the body as an abstract -- it seems more in keeping with Wikipedia style to have this election on its own page. --Jfruh (talk) 19:52, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Ooops, I see the article does exist: East German general election, 1990.  Should be linked to more thoroughly, I think. --Jfruh (talk) 03:35, 25 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Separate page for 1990 election? 

message: Would anyone object if I place this table instead of the "typical slate" table? I saw it on the Dutch wikipedia. In this one you get a better sense of how the distribution of parliamentary seats remained constant throughout almost all legislatures. And you get an overview of all elections before 1990.
Election date   	Participation	Agree	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats	Distribution of parliamentary seats
Election date   	Participation	Agree	SED                                	CDU                                	LDPD                               	DBD                                	NDPD                               	FDGB                               	FDJ                                	KB                                 	DFD                                	SDA¹                               	VdgB                               	VVN
19 October 1950 	98,53%       	99,9%	110                                	67                                 	66                                 	33                                 	35                                 	49                                 	25                                 	24                                 	20                                 	6                                  	12                                 	19
17 October 1954 	98,51%       	99,4%	117                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	55                                 	29                                 	29                                 	18                                 	                                   	12                                 	
16 November 1958	98,90%       	99,9%	127                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	55                                 	29                                 	29                                 	18                                 	                                   	12                                 	
20 October 1963 	99,25%       	99,9%	127                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	68                                 	55                                 	35                                 	22                                 	                                   	                                   	
2 July 1967     	99,82%       	99,9%	127                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	68                                 	55                                 	35                                 	22                                 	                                   	                                   	
14 November 1971	98,48%       	99,5%	127                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	68                                 	55                                 	35                                 	22                                 	                                   	                                   	
7 October 1976  	98,58%       	99,8%	127                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	68                                 	55                                 	35                                 	22                                 	                                   	                                   	
14 June 1981    	99,21%       	99,9%	127                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	68                                 	55                                 	35                                 	22                                 	                                   	                                   	
8 June 1986     	99,74%       	99,9%	227                                	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	52                                 	68                                 	37                                 	21                                 	32                                 	                                   	14                                 	
¹Eastern Bureau of the Social Democratic Party of Germany  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sgomag (talk • contribs) 19:20, 9 October 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposal for table change 

message: These two paragraphs, though immediately adjacent to each other, seem to contradict one another, or describe different processes:
The members of the chamber were elected in multi-member constituencies, with four to eight seats. To be elected, a candidate needed to receive half of the valid votes cast in their constituency. If, within a constituency, an insufficient number of candidates got the majority needed to fill all the seats, a second round was held within 90 days. If the number of candidates getting this majority exceeds the number of seats in the respective constituency, the order of the candidates on the election list decided who got to sit in the Volkskammer. Candidates who lost out on a seat because of this, would become successor candidates who would fill casual vacancies which might occur during a legislative period.
Only one candidate appeared on the ballot; voters simply took the ballot paper and dropped it into the ballot box. Those who wanted to vote against the candidate had to go to a special booth, without any secrecy...
If every ballot only has one name on it, then the process of electing multiple members for the constituency, as described in the first paragraph, doesn't really make sense. Did the voter get multiple ballot papers, one for each seat in the constituency? --Jfruh (talk) 03:36, 18 September 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: As far as I remember (no, I wasn't there, but one reads stuff) voters had a choice.   The party proposed a list of approved candidates.   You could turn up at the polling station (and reported results indicate that almost everyone qualified to vote did) and vote for the party's list of candidates.   Or you could vote against the party's list.   You voted for the party list by placing your ballot paper in one ballot box.   You voted against the party list by placing your ballot paper in a second ballot box.   The two ballot boxes were generally placed far apart from one another.   Voting against the party list involved wandering across to the "against" ballot box while the election officials looked on.   So voters had a choice - to vote or not to vote.   They almost all voted.   And they had the choice of whether to vote for or against the party list.   They almost all chose to vote for it.   Clear as mud?  If anyone knows a nice clear and reliable source - preferably accessible online - for the modalities of parliamentary elections in East Germany I would be grateful to known of it.   And it might be helpful to include such a source with the "Volkskammer" wiki-entry.  Regards Charles01 (talk) 09:53, 18 September 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I understand the nature of the yes/no "forced choice." My question is about the fact that the article says "only one candidate appeared on the ballot." If the ballot actually contained a list of party-approved candidates, then that works with the description of how the multimember constituency works. But I wanted to make sure that was the case, since the article specifically says one candidate. --Jfruh (talk) 03:19, 19 September 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes.   My understanding - at least as regards general / national elections - is that  "only one candidate appeared on the ballot" is an incorrect statement.   They used a (perverted form of) the list system.   But maybe there was an exception at some point of which I know nothing.   And (repetitive, yes) if anyone knows a nice clear and reliable source - preferably accessible online - for the modalities of parliamentary elections in East Germany I would be grateful to known of it.  Regards Charles01 (talk) 05:59, 19 September 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  How voting worked -- description doesn't make sense