First identify which election is involved.
This specifically concerns election to the German Bundestag. It does not ask about a municipal election or an election to another parliament. Do not automatically transfer an age threshold you know from a different electoral context.
Read the correct answer as a combination: German citizenship and an age of at least 18. “At least” includes the eighteenth birthday. The relevant age is the age on election day, not during an earlier lesson or when the polling notification is read.
The other three answers
Look for missing conditions and the incorrect age of 21.
lives in the Federal Republic of Germany and wants to vote.
Residence and a wish to vote do not replace the nationality and age conditions for federal elections.
has lived in the Federal Republic of Germany for at least 3 years.
Three years of residence is not the condition sought. The sentence also omits citizenship and minimum age. The law normally uses a different residence period and separate rules for people abroad.
is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany and is at least 21 years old.
The citizenship condition fits, but 21 is the wrong age threshold. For Bundestag elections it is 18.
The short test answer is not a complete eligibility assessment.
In an ordinary domestic case, section 12 requires at least three months of residence or habitual presence in Germany and no statutory disqualification. The law contains further details. The exam answer highlights citizenship and age without listing every condition.
Germans living abroad can also be eligible under specific conditions. Conversely, years of residence without German citizenship do not by themselves grant a federal vote. Official election information is the relevant reference for an individual case.
§ 12 · Federal Elections Act ↗Federal election: German + 18, with other rules to check.
Residence alone is insufficient, and 21 is too high. Read the two features together.
Three words for this question
- wahlberechtigteligible to vote
- Entitled to cast a vote under the applicable rules.
- mindestensat least
- No less than the stated number.
- die Staatsangehörigkeitcitizenship / nationality
- Legal membership of a state.