Imogen Goodman voted in Berlin for the first time — The Local Germany
In Berlin, Germany, journalist Imogen Goodman took part in state elections for the first time on September 20 after obtaining German citizenship in September 2025. As The Local Germany reports, she had previously lived in Germany for nearly ten years and covered federal and regional elections, but did not have the right to vote.
Waiting for citizenship
In the autumn of 2022, Goodman applied to the local citizenship authority, noting that she had lived in the country for six years and spoke German at C1 level. Her interview was scheduled nine months later, and she submitted her documents at the end of 2023.
Several months later, a digital system for submitting citizenship applications was launched in Berlin. According to the author, some applicants who submitted documents online received passports within a few weeks, while around 40,000 paper applications, including hers, were waiting to be digitized and entered into the system.
During the federal elections on February 23, 2025, the journalist had still not received a response from the authorities and therefore could not vote. After acquiring citizenship, she received an official voter notification by mail ahead of the state elections.
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First vote
Goodman went to the polling station with her partner; it was set up in a primary school near her home. Three polling stations operated in the building, so a volunteer directed her to the correct room.
At the polling station, she showed her voter notification, received the ballots and checked several times whether she had correctly marked her chosen candidate and party. After her identity document was checked, the journalist placed the ballots in the box. According to her, the entire procedure took less than five minutes.
Voting rights for new citizens
Goodman noted that important issues for Berlin include the housing crisis, the accessibility of public transport and public services, as well as cuts to spending on culture and the arts. According to The Local Germany, the Left Party, which came first in the election, supports implementing the result of the referendum on transferring the real estate of major private landlords, including Deutsche Wohnen, into public ownership. At the same time, the publication notes that the fate of this initiative will depend on coalition negotiations.
The publication also cites data showing that approximately 95,000 new German citizens gained the right to vote in Berlin after the 2023 elections. At the same time, 976,000 adult residents of the city do not have German citizenship and could not take part in the vote.
