title: Turnout in German election slightly lower than 2013: official
text: BERLIN (Reuters) - Turnout in Germany s national election was slightly lower at 1200 GMT than at the same time four years ago, the Federal Returning Officer said in a statement on Sunday. At 1200 GMT, 41.1 percent of registered voters had cast a ballot, compared to 41.4 percent in 2013. That masked considerable variation across the country. Earlier, North Rhine- Westphalia, the country s most populous state, had reported a 3 percent increase in turnout. 