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I have dual citizenship (German & American). I have grown up in both countries but currently live in the U.S. Recently, I have voted in the U.S. elections. However, I have never voted in the German elections. Since a German election is coming up, am I eligible to vote for that election? I have heard from another dual citizen that they can't vote for both. Is this true?

Thanks!

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  • Good question. And welcome to Stack Exchange. Have you done any research on this issue? Please share.
    – user9790
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 16:58
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    What makes you think you can't vote for Germany when you have citizenship?
    – Rathony
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 17:58
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    Does your question apply to the general case, or specifically to a US-German dual citizen. I suspect the general answer is 'it depends'.
    – origimbo
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 18:05
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    casting votes in two separate elections would not be fraudulent. The real question is whether German laws allow citizens living abroad to vote, and whether dual-citizenship affects that (regardless of whether you voted elsewhere)
    – jalynn2
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 18:15
  • As @jalynn2 said, my boyfriend is a US/New Zealand dual citizen, currently living in the U.S. He can always vote in the US elections, because the U.S. allows all citizens to vote, regardless of residency. He currently cannot vote in the New Zealand elections because enfranchisement in New Zealand requires residency in NZ proper.
    – hszmv
    Commented May 13, 2019 at 16:25

2 Answers 2

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Yes, you can vote in both German and American elections. Both Germany and USA have no restrictions that prohibit dual nationals from voting in another country.

Evidence for the United States:

As it now stands, the United States is among the most, if not the most, permissive country allowing dual citizenship in the world. It has no regulation whatsoever of whether its citizens can vote, serve in the government of, or fight for a foreign government. They can do so without consequences of any kind.

Source

Evidence for Germany:

Do multiple nationals have special rights?

In Germany, a person with foreign citizenship in addition to his/her German citizenship (a multiple national) has exactly the same rights as all other German citizens.

Source

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    It's worth noting too that, pursuant to Afroyim v. Rusk, the United States is Constitutionally prohibited from causing loss of citizenship just because a person voted in another country's elections.
    – Publius
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 20:53
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    I believe a US-dual citizen can fight for their other nation, but not against the US. If Germany ever went to war the with US, the dual-citizenship could find themselves guilty of treason for fighting on either side.
    – abelenky
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 22:11
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One case where you can't:

If you have the right to vote in more than one EU member state, then, for the EU Parliamentary elections, you have to choose in which one to vote. You are not allowed to vote twice.

Article 9.1 of the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament reads:

No one may vote more than once in any election of members of the European Parliament.

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    True, but not really comparable as it is the same election. In a similar way, you can’t cast two votes in the US presidential election even if you have two homes in different states.
    – chirlu
    Commented May 11, 2019 at 17:33
  • @chirlu But surely, where in the US one votes is based on residency, not on owning property? Otherwise a nationally operating real estate investor could vote wherever they want. I thought most countries did away with property-based rights to vote in the early 20th century. I don't see how there can be a US state equivalent of dual citizenship between two countries as citizenship is a property of the country, not the state.
    – gerrit
    Commented Sep 7, 2020 at 8:24
  • You can be a resident of two places at the same time, and completely independent of ownership (the house where one resides can as well be rented, or can belong to a family member or friend). – There are different levels of citizenship, too. I am a citizen of the EU, of Germany, of Lower Saxony and of my city all at the same time.
    – chirlu
    Commented Sep 24, 2020 at 13:23
  • @chirlu Being a citizen of different levels that are contained within each other can't lead to voting in two country elections. You can't, as far as I know, be a citizen of both Niedersachsen and Thüringen at the same time.
    – gerrit
    Commented Sep 24, 2020 at 18:45
  • You can (and in fact, I am: of Lower Saxony and of Baden-Württemberg), but then you are ineligible to vote at your secondary residence (Nebenwohnsitz). But back to the original point: You can be a citizen of two EU member states, and therefore a citizen of the EU via two paths.
    – chirlu
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 17:54

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