Britons with newly gained German nationality prepare to go to the polls

“It feels very strange to be a first-time voter at the age of 68,” says Michael Lawton, a retired TV producer living in Berlin who acquired German citizenship last September. Lawton is one of several thousand Britons who obtained German passports in the wake of the Brexit referendum, fearing the loss of his rights as an EU citizen to live and work in Germany, and who are now eligible to vote for the first time in Sunday’s election.

“I take a lot of satisfaction at knowing that having lived here for decades, I can finally have a say in shaping the country,” he says. “Even though I still feel very attached to Britain, when I look at the chaos there over the exit negotiations I despair and feel I hardly understand it anymore, compared to Germany.”

Citizenship applications from Britons leapt by 361% in 2016 as a record number of almost 3,000 UK citizens became German, a figure that is is expected to be considerably higher this year, according to Germany’s federal statistics office.

“I was disenfranchised a long time ago,” says Ed Collins, originally from Ilford, who has lived in Germany since 1988, and lost his right to vote in UK elections in 2003 after an absence of 15 years. “Having been on the sidelines politically for quite a while now, I’m glad I’m finally able to exercise my right again.” Collins, who works for a funeral directors in Potsdam and became a German citizen in the spring, sees his right to vote as functional rather than attractive. “I am not emotive about it, it’s a utility, but I’m finally exercising my right because I live here and am affected by politics at every level and it’s important to have my say.”

Having a vote has made him more aware of the pros and cons of both countries’ voting systems, he says. “I can see the advantage of Germany’s proportional representation system, as opposed to the first past the post in the UK, where many votes get swept under the carpet. The disadvantage of the German system, however, is that there’s not much scope for political change.” He despairs of the dramatic fall in support for the Social Democrats, but is confident that when the anti-immigrant AfD, as expected, enters the Bundestag “they will be suffocated fairly quickly, because they’ll be forced to take a more moderate line”.

Judith, a 51-year-old caterer who is originally from London, became a German citizen six months ago, motivated mainly by wanting to secure her rights as an EU citizen.

“But it was a bonus to know I could vote as well,” she says. She is especially glad to have a say in this election “because it’s scary with the AfD due to get into the Bundestag for the first time. I have huge concerns.”

The issue of Brexit itself has not played a part in the German election campaign, says Judith – aside from being an issue alongside others like Trump and North Korea. But “it has definitely influenced my political thinking and made me a hundred times more European. Although it wouldn’t affect the party I choose, as almost all of them here are pro EU.”

Issues close to her heart that will sway her decision include refugees and education. She will vote strategically, she insists, “which may mean giving my vote to a smaller party in order to help prevent the AfD from doing well. But it’s not like I’m passionate about a particular party”.

For Esme, a 38-year-old broadcast journalist from Berkshire who has lived in Germany for 16 years, it is a question of duty. “I want to play my part, however small, in safe-guarding Germany from the AfD.

“After Brexit and the US election, everyone is looking to see what happens in Germany, and I think there has been a lot of complacency. Merkel is going to win, but look how well the AfD is doing. No one has talked about that enough.” She is fascinated to learn more about the German system. “Every German has two votes and I have spent a lot of time considering how to place mine. The first is for a local candidate and is a first past the post direct mandate, while the second vote determines the distribution of seats in the Bundestag. It requires a lot of thought as to how you place yours,” she says.

Hugh Williamson, 53, who received his citizenship in January, says that having a child at school and working in the human rights field in Germany, has made him view the party programmes accordingly. “I appreciate being able to spread my political commitments more broadly due to the two votes. Having German citizenship during this campaign has made me pay more attention to the issues that are important to me, and I take comfort from knowing that my vote will be counted.”

Louise Churcher, 57, an English teacher from Winchester who has lived in Babelsberg, just outside Berlin, for the past decade and became a German earlier this year, says the sensation of being an outsider is gone now that she can vote. “Being enfranchised at last, I have a different feeling about myself because I’m no longer excluded from the electoral process,” she says. “Because the political spectrum is widening, it seems even more imperative to be able to influence what’s going on. Also the fact of Brexit occurring makes me glad to have a vote within a European Union member (state).”

Learning more about the German political system now that she has a say, she believes it is “probably one of the fairest there is in terms of getting people into parliament who reflect what people actually think”.

But, admitting she still feels “like a novice”, she is happy to follow the advice of her 16-year-old daughter, Beth, who studies politics at school. “I’m thinking of splitting my first and second votes between different parties, though my daughter has said she thinks that’s too non-committal.” She feels excited, she says: “In a school girlish sort of way. I’ve asked my daughter if she wants to come with me to the polling booth.”