The state elections in Thuringia have barely been over when there are already some rumors about election manipulation on social media. The occasion is a photo with an open ballot box.
A photo that is said to come from Thuringia shows an open ballot box. This ballot box is not completely open, it already has a lock and a seal on the side. The lock and seal are only attached so that the urn can be opened on one side.
The seal itself, which is attached to the same side as the padlock, bears an inscription, the content of which may well be related to the state elections in Thuringia on October 27, 2019. There you read:
State election on October 27th, 2019 in Thuringia
seal stamp
Unfortunately, the smaller writing underneath cannot be deciphered. The photo also does not indicate when and where it was taken. It is the following image, which can also be found partly with an enlargement of the seal mark:

A first fact check
The image provides no further information about origin or age. An image search results in the oldest finds from October 27, 2019 on a Funpic page and a blog. However, this picture was published on the Funpic page several hours before the blog. According to the source code on the Funpic site, the picture was published there at 5:35 p.m.
This picture was previously published on Twitter. , at 3:06 p.m. there is a tweet showing the image. In the comments it is claimed that it is about Leinefelde Thuringia. However, this information should be read without proof, but merely a comment.
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There is some further information about the picture on the Thüringen24 website The picture was already discussed here in the news ticker at 12:14 p.m. on October 27th, 2019. The entry mentions Weimar as a possible location, but Thüringen24 also notes that these are speculative location details.
Thüringen24 asked Andy Faupel (press spokesman for the city of Weimar) about this:
“The photo is not a ballot box from Weimar, as we have been using cable ties instead of padlocks for years.”
The state returning officer Günter Krombholz was also interviewed, but apart from a fire alarm at a polling station in Erfurt, he was unable to name any special incidents regarding the election in Thuringia.
We also sent a request to the office of the returning officer in Thuringia yesterday, Monday, October 28th, 2019. An answer is still pending at this time.
General information about ballot boxes in Thuringia
In the Thuringian state electoral regulations ( ThürLWO ) of July 12, 1994, which is still valid, the description of the nature of the ballot boxes can be found under §47:
§ 47
Ballot boxes
(1) The municipality provides the necessary ballot boxes.(2) The ballot box must have a lockable lid, be sufficiently large and designed in such a way that it can accommodate the ballot papers in a manner that maintains the secrecy of the vote.
This might also be of interest:
Not a fake: Meißner City Hall sends out a completed ballot paper
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Notes:
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