1938 Austria Anschluss Plebiscite Ballot – Marked “Ja” Reichstag Vote

Description

This original-period 1938 Austria plebiscite ballot was printed for the combined plebiscite and Greater German Reichstag election of 10 April 1938, held four weeks after the annexation of Austria. It carries the famous unequal layout, a large circle under “Ja” and a much smaller one under “Nein”, and a light pencil cross has been drawn in the “Ja” circle.

What did the plebiscite ballot ask?

Volksabstimmung und Großdeutscher Reichstag
Stimmzettel
Bist Du mit der am 13. März 1938 vollzogenen Wiedervereinigung Österreichs mit dem Deutschen Reich einverstanden und stimmst Du für die Liste unseres Führers
Adolf Hitler?
Ja ◯    Nein ○

In English: “Do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Reich carried out on 13 March 1938, and do you vote for the list of our Führer Adolf Hitler?”

The question fuses two decisions into one: approval of an annexation already carried out and support for Hitler’s single Reichstag list. There was no way to accept one and reject the other.

What happened in March and April 1938?

German troops crossed into Austria on 12 March 1938, and the next day the law on Austria’s “reunification” with the German Reich was enacted. The vote of 10 April was organised afterwards to give that fait accompli the appearance of popular consent, and was held across the enlarged Reich together with the election of the Greater German Reichstag, on a single approved list. It followed an intensive propaganda campaign, and Jewish citizens and others excluded under the regime’s racial laws could not vote. The regime announced a yes vote of over 99%.

Why is the “Ja” circle so much larger?

The oversized “Ja” circle, placed at the centre of the sheet, and the small “Nein” circle pushed to the side are the best-known features of the 1938 plebiscite ballot. The design steers the hand before the voter has thought about the question, which is why this ballot is so often used to illustrate how propaganda reached into the act of voting itself.

Does the “Ja” mark prove it was cast?

The pencil cross in the “Ja” circle is light but clear. Without provenance from a polling station, however, it cannot be proved that this sheet went into a ballot box, so it is described as a period ballot with a pencil “Ja” mark. No claim is made about the voter, the polling station or the region in which it was used.

Why collect it?

A marked plebiscite ballot shows not only the design the regime printed but the response it was built to produce. It suits collections of political ephemera, Austrian and German history of 1938 and election material. Compare it with our unmarked Anschluss referendum ballot (DOC216), which shows the same design untouched, and with the 1936 Reichstag ballots DOC217 and DOC215. For wider context, see Collecting WWII and Third Reich Material Responsibly.

See also the 1938 Anschluss ballot with a bold “Ja” mark (DOC213).

See also our Volksabstimmung 1938 ballot (DOC200), unmarked on the front with a pencil cross on the reverse.

Collector’s Note

Placed side by side, a marked and an unmarked plebiscite ballot make one of the most instructive pairs in political ephemera: the same printed pressure, once with the answer it demanded and once without.

Condition

Original period condition:

• General age toning to a cream-yellow colour.
• Scattered light spotting and minor surface marks.
• Small edge imperfections and minor marks near the upper margin.
• Slight handling wear.
• Printed text dark and fully legible.
• Light pencil cross in the “Ja” circle.

No section of the ballot is missing. The badge, medallion and pencil in the photograph are display props and are not included. The photograph shows the actual ballot offered and forms part of this condition description.

Frequently asked questions

When was the vote?
10 April 1938.

Why does it mention 13 March 1938?
That was the date of the law incorporating Austria into the German Reich.

Is it marked?
Yes, with a light pencil cross in the “Ja” circle.

Is it an Austrian ballot?
The same wording was used across the enlarged Reich, and no regional attribution is made.

Are the badge, medallion and pencil included?
No. They are photographic props only.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This ballot is offered exclusively as a historical artefact for collecting, preservation, education and research. Names and wording of the period are reproduced only because they form an inseparable part of the original document. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify National Socialism or the political system it represents.

References & Further Reading

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Commemorative ballot issued to celebrate the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany (2004.454.2) – ballot wording and the vote of 10 April 1938.
• Wien Museum, Streuzettel: NS-Volksabstimmung zum “Anschluss” Österreichs an das Deutsche Reich am 10. April 1938 (inv. 309019/2).