2027 mayoral election in Leipzig: Martin Neuhof’s ‘stimmzettel leipzig’

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The Leipzig-based photographer Martin Neuhof is known not only to the people of Leipzig for his political activism. This began in 2014, when he was one of the founders of the Leipzig-based initiative ‘No-Legida’ and was active on its behalf far beyond Leipzig. In 2015, he launched the ‘Zeig Dich’ photo campaign to take a stand against racism.

In 2018, he launched the ‘Herzkampf’ project. Through images and text, he portrays people in Central Germany who are committed to tolerance and diversity. Speaking to us in 2023 at the opening of the project’s first exhibition in Leipzig’s St Peter’s Church, he said: “With the ‘Herzkampf’ project, I want to shine a light on people who work every day to support our democratic society, but who are far too rarely heard or seen. I am committed to ensuring that the political discourse in Saxony does not shift any further to the right. That we finally succeed in strengthening the initiatives – particularly in rural areas – that are working to promote a society that supports democracy.”

The exhibition toured several eastern German federal states, and in 2025 this was followed by the podcast “Herzkampf – die Unermüdlichen” (Herzkampf – The Tireless Ones). In this podcast, the protagonists who had previously been photographed are invited and interviewed. Martin focuses on the question: ‘What has changed for you and in your community since then?’

In the run-up to the 2027 mayoral election in Leipzig, Martin Neuhof launched the website ‘stimmzettel leipzig’. The site profiles all the candidates standing for the mayoral election. Martin Neuhof writes: “There are 15 candidates standing. Who they are, what they stand for and how the election works. Independent, with sources and without a paywall.”

We wanted to know what prompted him to do this and spoke to him.

Mr Neuhof, with all the projects you’re involved in and your social commitment, do your day job as a photographer and your private life sometimes take a back seat?

Not really – I always manage to juggle things quite well because I tend to focus on one project at a time. It’s a bit like climbing a staircase. First came No-Legida; the idea simply popped into my head during my lunch break – I just didn’t want Pegida or Legida to gain a foothold here in Leipzig. At the time, it started out as just a Facebook page, and then it grew enormously.

Why the ‘stimmzettel leipzig’ page now?

A few weeks ago, I realized I couldn’t find any consolidated information on the election campaign. I searched and searched and realized that whilst I could find individual articles about each candidate, I couldn’t find an overview. That really bothered me, so I thought I’d sit down and put something like that together myself and see how far I could get. I also wanted to try – unlike with ‘Herzkampf’ – to gather information in a completely objective way, so that absolutely anyone, even those who might not share my political views, could still form a clear, understandable and neutral opinion.

Candidates in the mayoral election on ‘stimmzettel leipzig’. Screenshot: LZ

The new ‘stimmzettel leipzig’ project lists all candidates in the mayoral election without any judgement on your part. Many people would have expected you to warn against the AfD there – why don’t you do that?

As I said, the site is simply intended to be a source of information for everyone. Where can I find out more about the candidates, and where can I find articles about them? The site is intended to be a sort of hub. Another feature in the pipeline is the ‘OBM Compass’, where each candidate can set out their position. The emails were sent out last week, and a few people have already replied. Before the election, we’ll be adding a feature that lets you see which candidates most closely share your own views. I think this will help people who perhaps don’t follow politics 24/7. When they’re then thinking about whom to vote for, the site is intended to provide an overview of the wide range of candidates and their manifestos.

For the Compass, all candidates will receive the same questionnaire. They can agree, remain neutral or disagree, and write a brief explanation for their choice. Now, if someone were to write something in their explanation such as: ‘All red-haired people will be expelled from Leipzig!’, would that be published as it is, or do you moderate the responses? The bit about red-haired people is absurd, but I didn’t want to go into the specific statements made by some individuals.

To be honest, it would be strange if such an explanation were to appear. The proposals centre on the city – that is, the budget, housing, transport or culture – and on what concrete impact politics has here. Whatever someone writes appears there unchanged; it is their answer, not my opinion. I only withhold anything that is unlawful, such as content that incites hatred or is offensive.

Is there anything else you’d like to add on this?

It’s simply the first time in 21 years that the incumbent isn’t standing for election in Leipzig, which is why the field of candidates is so large. I’ve organized the page so that it’s sorted alphabetically. That’s why Getu Abraham appears first. Everything on the page is sourced; there are 165 references on the site. Another interesting point is that I deliberately chose not to use any photos – and this as a photographer. I believe that the decision on who to vote for shouldn’t depend on appearances. I’d considered going to each candidate to take their photograph. But then I realized that modern companies often don’t require photos with job applications these days. Whether someone becomes mayor or not should depend on their views and plans, not on what they look like.

My website contains no tracking, no cookies and no adverts, and there is a separate page in plain language. The election website is also available in English, as EU citizens who have been living in Leipzig for three months and have registered their main residence here are also entitled to vote. The site also contains information on postal voting, dates, election volunteers and much more.

My idea is that this won’t end after the mayoral election. There are federal and state elections coming up, so I can imagine continuing with this. As for city council elections, I’m still considering whether I’ll be able to manage it given the large number of candidates.

That was certainly a fitting closing remark. Thank you for the interview.

Conclusion: It’s well worth visiting the site, and not just for those who are undecided. The information about the candidates is comprehensive and is constantly being updated.