A small group of Bornstedt residents met on this day for a walk of a special kind: young and old did not discuss anything new in the neighborhood, but the meaning of various election posters and exchanged views on the upcoming State election on Sunday, 22 Septemberout. How do parties actually finance themselves? And why exactly did the split in the Left Party occur? Pauline Hillenbrand and Franja Eden, cultural workers and founders of the Democracy.understanding project, answer questions and provide information about democratic processes.
Their project series “Neighborhood walk – election posters in view” is taking the participants through the area around the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences today. What is striking is that there is not a single election poster on the street of the Bornstedt neighborhood store; it is only on the busier streets that the group finds long rows of posters. The FDP poster stands out in particular because of its oversize. In the eyes of the participants, the CDU impresses with the “solid appearance” of its posters. The SPD is also represented with many posters. The SPD won the local elections in June in this constituency again with 21.2 percent, but the AfD achieved the greatest increase with 4.1 percentage points.
The poster of the “Plus” list alliance prompts all participants to stop for a break. Can the parties come to a common denominator on climate policy and understanding of democracy? The traffic light has shown that such an alliance can face challenges, says one participant. On the entire route, the group only sees a single AfD poster, but a lot of red paint: on lampposts, on bus stop signs and on the Greens’ election posters.
Concern that the importance of feminism is waning
The youngest member of the group is Oskar, who does not want to be named by his last name. He is 21 years old and is concerned about the state elections on Sunday due to the election forecasts. Many of the people around him share this concern. For him, an increase in votes for the AfD would mean a reduction in diversity. Wenke is 48 years old and a single mother, and she also prefers not to appear in the newspaper with her last name. As she looks at the CDU’s election posters, she expresses her concern that feminism could only play a minor role in the future.
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For a walk in Bornstedt Only five people showed up that day – all of whom found out about it through the Bornstedt community store. However, there was little discussion that day. Pauline Hillenbrand and Franja Eden therefore give the participants a tip at the end: to leave their comfort zone more often. By talking to people who do not share your opinion, an open exchange can be created and democracy can be strengthened.
