1938 Anschluss Referendum Ballot – Unmarked Adolf Hitler Plebiscite

Description

This original-period 1938 Anschluss referendum ballot was printed for the plebiscite and Greater German Reichstag election of 10 April 1938. It asks the voter to approve the “reunification” of Austria with the German Reich carried out on 13 March 1938 and, in the same question, to vote for Adolf Hitler’s list. Both voting circles are unmarked, so the ballot’s deliberately unequal design, with a large “Ja” circle and a small “Nein” circle, can be seen exactly as printed.

What does the Anschluss referendum ballot say?

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: “Plebiscite and Greater German Reichstag. Ballot. 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?”

Two separate questions, approval of the annexation and support for Hitler’s Reichstag list, are fused into one. A voter could not approve one and reject the other.

Why is the “Ja” circle larger?

The circle under “Ja” is printed far larger than the one under “Nein” and sits at the centre of the sheet. The design itself steers the voter, and it has become the most recognisable feature of this ballot. On an unmarked example such as this one, the asymmetry is especially clear.

What was the vote of 10 April 1938?

German troops crossed into Austria on 12 March 1938, and on 13 March the law on Austria’s “reunification” with the German Reich was enacted. The plebiscite of 10 April therefore did not ask whether the annexation should happen; it asked voters to endorse, after the fact, something already done. It was held throughout the enlarged Reich together with the election of the new Greater German Reichstag, after an intense propaganda campaign of rallies, posters and speeches. Jewish citizens and other groups excluded under the regime’s racial laws could not vote, and the vote took place under the conditions of a dictatorship. The regime announced a yes vote of over 99%.

Is it a German or an Austrian ballot?

The same wording was used across the enlarged Reich. The paper of this example is cream-toned with age. Some surviving examples are on green paper, which collectors often associate with Austria, but this has not been confirmed from a published source and paper colour also changes with age and light, so no attribution to a specific region is made.

Nor is any claim made that this sheet came from a polling station. Unmarked ballots of this type survive both as unused official forms and as specimens circulated during the campaign; the Wien Museum, for example, holds a printed handbill issued for the same plebiscite.

Why collect it?

The Anschluss referendum ballot is one of the clearest primary sources for how a dictatorship staged consent. Its wording, its fused question and its unequal circles show propaganda built into the act of voting itself. It suits collections of political ephemera, Austrian and German history of 1938 and election material, and pairs naturally with our 1936 Reichstag ballot from Oberbayern-Schwaben (DOC217). For the wider context of collecting such material, see Collecting WWII and Third Reich Material Responsibly.

A marked example of the same ballot, with a pencil cross in the “Ja” circle, is listed as DOC214.

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

A marked and an unmarked Anschluss referendum ballot tell slightly different stories. A marked one shows how the form was used; an unmarked one, like this, shows the design exactly as the regime printed it, with nothing to distract from the oversized “Ja”.

Condition

Original period condition:

• Overall age toning with scattered minor staining and surface marks.
• Wear along the upper edge, with small nicks and minor losses.
• Normal handling wear to corners and edges.
• Printed text dark, clear and fully legible.
• Both voting circles unmarked.

No loss affects the printed text. The pencil in the photograph is a modern display prop and is 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 the ballot mention 13 March 1938?
That was the date of the law incorporating Austria into the German Reich.

Is it marked?
No. Both the “Ja” and “Nein” circles are empty.

Is the pencil included?
No. It is a modern photographic prop.

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).