Daniel Stich, State Secretary for the Interior, Speaks at the Fraunhofer ITWM in a Series of Lectures Entitled »Thinking out of the Box« (Blick über den Tellerrand)

Campaigning in Transition – The Role of Modern Technologies and Their Impact on Democracy

Press Release / September 17, 2024

Daniel Stich is well known to the Fraunhofer ITWM: before his appointment as State Secretary for the Interior, he was responsible for the »Health« focus at the State Ministry of Science and Health. During the peak phases of the coronavirus epidemic, the institute examined the case numbers for the ministry and advised Daniel Stich in his role as state vaccination coordinator in weekly meetings. Even after the epidemic had subsided, the collaboration continued: Fraunhofer ITWM supported the state government's wastewater analysis program by comparing it with the SentiSurv test program. Data was collected until March of this year to improve the ability to predict the course of a similar epidemic in the future and to take appropriate measures.

Now, Daniel Stich, who was born in Kaiserslautern, is coming to the Fraunhofer ITWM in a completely different role: as a speaker in the »Thinking out of the Box« (Blick über den Tellerrand) series, he will be talking about »Election Campaigns in Transition: The Role of Modern Technologies and Their Effects on Democracy« on September 26th, 6 p.m. We asked him what attracts him to this topic.

Dear Mr. Stich, we know you as a consultant in various ministries of the state government, as the director of the health department in the Ministry of Science and Health, and as the state secretary in the Ministry of the Interior since July 2024. What motivated you to present in our »Thinking out of the Box« (Blick über den Tellerrand) series?

Because all of my work is based on our democracy and because democracies are inconceivable without elections, and elections without campaigns, to that extent, campaigning is also a profoundly democratic thing. That applies in Europe and Germany and it applies in the United States. Campaigns are a fascinating topic for me, a fascinating time. I was a campaigner and gained experience in the United States and Rhineland-Palatinate, I like the intense debate about the directional decision of a society.

What do you find so fascinating about this political topic? Is there a connection to your day-to-day work?

Since graduating, I have been intensively involved with political communication and election campaigns. As state secretary in the Ministry of the Interior, I am also responsible for contact with the US military. In a sense, this is the bridge between my time as a campaigner in the US election and as a campaigner in Rhineland-Palatinate. Many Americans are stationed in Rhineland-Palatinate, and many live in and around Kaiserslautern. I grew up in Kaiserslautern. For me, this coexistence was always both a matter of course and an exciting experience. It is a particular pleasure for me to be able to work in this field today as a state secretary with the Atlantic Academy.

How are you viewing the US election campaign?

First of all, with great interest – professionally and privately. But of course there is also concern that populist forces are gaining influence. The discourse has become very harsh and less political. The modus operandi of election campaigns has changed.

Rhineland-Palatinate has been a reliable partner to the United States in recent decades, and the support of the United States has been equally reliable for Rhineland-Palatinate. I am also thinking of the large investments the United States has made in Rhineland-Palatinate. We want to continue this course and I hope, of course, that no election result will stand in the way of this. At the same time, we as democrats must ask ourselves whether we have really done everything, whether our work is visible enough. This applies worldwide and is certainly not a task for the election campaign alone, but a general political task.

Who do you want to reach with your presentation and what areas of discussion do you see for the dialog?

We want to think outside the box and look across the Atlantic together. That's my focus. Beyond that, I am happy to present, especially when it comes to a topic that is close to my heart and touches both my biography and my work. In this respect, everyone who is interested in the topic and in dialogue is welcome. And if I have learned a new perspective or a new aspect afterwards, it was a successful evening. I'm happy!

Picture available for download: Portrait Daniel Stich [ JPG 11,36 MB ]

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Series of Lectures

Thinking out of the Box

Once a month, we open our doors to everyone who is interested and invite them to broaden their horizons together.

The Felix-Klein-Center for Mathematics represents the institutional link between teaching and research at the Department of Mathematics and the practical orientation of the Fraunhofer ITWM. The lecture series »Thinking out of the Box« (Blick über den Tellerrand) is also organized within this framework.