An experience at a polling station in Saxony shows how quickly outrage can arise. A couple complains about the placement of the AfD on the ballot paper. Why information rather than outrage is the better way forward.
A remarkable scene occurred at a polling station for today's local and European elections in Dresden. A couple complained loudly about the fact that the AfD was not in first place on the ballot paper for the city council and district council elections. "They don't know the alphabet, do they?" they grumbled. The election worker patiently explained the system behind it: The order on the ballot papers is based on the number of votes the parties and voter associations achieved in the last city council election. As not all parties and voter associations were admitted in all constituencies, there are gaps on some ballot papers.
Despite this explanation, the couple seemed irritated and took the ballot papers into the polling booths with skeptical looks. This brief scene at the polling station was indicative of a widespread reflex: the immediate outrage and suspicion of a conspiracy without first finding out the background. It is exciting to see how quickly the outrage mechanism kicks in when something does not meet one's expectations. But often, as in this case, there is a plausible explanation.
