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All 741 seats in theReichstag 371 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 45,455,217 ( 0.6%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 99.0% ( 3.7pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held inGermany on 29 March 1936.[1] They took the form of a single-question referendum, asking voters whether they approved of themilitary occupation of the Rhineland and a single party list for the newReichstag composed exclusively of Nazis and 19 nominallyindependent "guests" of the party. Like previous votes in theNazi era, it was rigged,[2] with a claimed turnout of 99% and 98.8% voting in favour. In apublicity stunt, a number of voters were packed aboard the airshipsGraf Zeppelin andHindenburg, which flew above theRhineland as those aboard cast their ballots.[3]
This was the first German election held after enactment of the 1935Nuremberg Laws, which had removed citizenship rights (including the right to vote) from Jews and other ethnic minorities. In the previous elections and referendums under Nazi rule, Jews, Poles and other ethnic minorities had been allowed to vote without much interference, and even tacitly encouraged to vote against the Nazis (especially in districts that were known to have large populations of ethnic minorities). On 7 March 1936, Jews and Romani lost their right to vote.[4] Their removal from the electoral process accounted for much of the large drop in invalid and negative votes,[citation needed] which fell from over five million in 1934 to barely half a million in 1936. The Nazis also lowered the voting age, in large part so as to ensure that the electorate was about the same size as in 1934 but also to exploit the relatively enthusiastic support of younger Germans for the Nazi regime.
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| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazi Party and guests | 44,462,458 | 98.80 | 741 | |
| Against | 540,244 | 1.20 | – | |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | |||
| Total votes | 45,002,702 | 100 | 741 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 45,455,217 | 99.00 | – | |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||
The new Reichstag convened for formulary procedures on 30 January 1937 to re-elect its Presidium andHermann Göring as President of the Reichstag. It convened again to renew theEnabling Act of 1933 for additional four years.
Thesubsequent election in 1938 was held both in Germany and Austria, alongside a referendum that ratified theannexation of Austria to the German Reich.
| Parliamentary elections | |
|---|---|
| Presidential elections | |
| European elections | |
| Referendums | |
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