Shortly after it became known that some households in the municipality of Bischberg in Upper Franconia had received incorrect ballots for the 2026 postal vote, a printing error at the responsible print shop was suspected. This was reported by the news agency News 5 and several media outlets in Upper Franconia.
A spokesperson for the municipality of Bischberg told the broadcaster TVO and Radio Bamberg that the error was discovered during the course of this week. Exactly where the mistake occurred is still unclear. The municipality had taken over the ballots fully packaged from the print shop and reacted immediately after receiving a phone call. It remains unclear how many faulty ballots were sent out. While News 5 speaks of a low three-digit number of defective documents, the municipal spokesperson told TVO that incorrect ballots had appeared „sporadically“ among citizens.
After the mix-up came to light, the Bischberg administration acted immediately: all citizens who had applied for postal voting were promptly notified. The Bamberg District Office was also informed.
Voters urged to collect new ballots
At the municipal office, the affected voters can collect new ballots for the mayoral election. The incorrectly sent ballots will then be destroyed. Currently, 4,800 residents in Bischberg are eligible to vote. There are no indications at present that ballots from Bischberg have surfaced or circulated in Markt Burgebrach as a result.