Germany's candidates will do nearly anything for a vote

Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (The Greens) are known as Germany's evironment party. So of course party members in Osterode, a 24,000-resident city in the heart of Germany, have been sending their candidate Viola von Cramon out on the e-biking trail for campaigning events.

And Viola von Cramon's trail leads right to a boules court in Osterode. There, interested boules players can munch on organic cheese and bread, and drink eco-friendly wine or juice while chatting with the candidate and playing their beloved game. They can also easily register to become Greens members.

But things are rather slow-paced here, with boules players keeping their eye more on points than on votes. Still, it's a place dear to the Osterode Green Party, who established the court a few years back.

In Cologne's Chorweiler district, where 75 percent of people have a "migration background," the Left Party (Die Linke) put on a campaign picnic complete with barbeque stands, free drinks, table soccer and balloons. But election campaigners don't just want to pass out free stuff; they also want to offer people information.

The candidate for Die Linke (the Left Party) for the Chorweiler district is Güldane Tokyürek. It is hoped her Turkish background makes it easier for immigrants to lend her their ear. She aims to make these people feel that they are part of German society and are not being "left behind."

Here, people can look at the Left Party's platform and mark whether they agree or disagree. One of the visitors says he's against a minimum wage of 12 euros ($14.4); it's too little, he says. Others ask questions. Some of the visitors are open to the Left Party, but don't agree with all of the issues.

The residents of idyllic Kulmbach in Upper Franconia were shaken from their daydreams when CSU (Bavarian sister party of the Christian Democrats, or CDU) candidate Emmi Zeulner rolled in with CDU heavyweight Wolfgang Bosbach. The venue was low-key, being a soccer club house replete with sports and CSU decorations, but people came from all over the district to hear Bosbach speak.

But it's not just a back-slapping, happy-go-lucky event. On the contrary, everything from "true" and "fake" patriotism, a cap on refugee admissions, and German "dominant culture" are put on the table. Candidate Emmi Zeulner smoothed the waters, however.

This man is obviously skeptical. It's not just tried-and-true Christian Democrats who have come to this event at the soccer club house. Indeed, the CDU has lost many of its voters to the far right populist party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Members of the Young Socialists, the younger generation of Social Democrats (SPD), came to Lübeck to show their support for frontrunner Martin Schulz before a major television appearance - complete with soap bubbles and flags.

Martin Schulz, surrounded by heavy security, actually approaches the Young Socialists and lets them take pictures with him. Is it a last attempt to gain popularity?

Studio guests are alert and ready for the major candidate. Photographers are permitted to take pictures when Schulz enters, yet each step is choreographed before the "Wahlarena" ("Election Arena") show broadcast on German public broadcaster ARD gets underway. It's Schulz's last major campaign appearance before the election.

The Federal Convention of the satirical party "Die Partei" was held at a shisha or "hookah" bar in Frankfurt an der Oder. Despite the unorthodox venue, the candidates donned conventional suits, while supporters held up party flags - just like at major party campaign events.

Kilian Galle is 21, and a major fan of humor and satire – without really wanting to commit to a particular political bent. "We say we are part of the 'radical middle.' And that fits!," he says. The Partei people are word pros, but not everyone gets their jokes and word plays. Some who are interested in the party might want a little more content in their platform.

Die Partei aims to use humor to get people interested in politics again, so they organize media-effective events for addressing serious topics in a humorous way. It also helps to offer pizza and free drinks, like here during a speech by district chairman Philipp Henning.