Berliners cast their referendum votes on whether to nationalize thousands of housing units owned by real estate giants. After counting all votes, over 56% voted in favor of the measure. Voters in the German capital, Berlin, alongside casting ballots for the makeup of the new German parliament and for their local legislature, also took part in a referendum on whether to force large real estate companies to sell off most of their housing units. The "yes" vote garnered 56.4% while the "no" vote received 39% in the non-binding referendum. [...] The measure required a simple majority to pass as well as a "yes" vote from at least a quarter of all eligible voters, but, even if it does pass, that would only force the incoming Berlin city-state government to debate the proposal. [...] The vote was the result of a grassroots campaign to "Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen and Co." A successful vote would open the way for the Berlin Senate to devise a law that would allow for expropriation of real estate companies with more than 3,000 housing units. Companies would be reimbursed for the properties at a rate "well below market value," according to the campaign. The vote came after German's constitutional court overturned a rent cap introduced in the capital city by the ruling left-leaning coalition. Housing and rental prices have been a major issue for Berlin residents because of high prices. Campaigners believe that the legislation would be constitutionally compatible with Germany's Basic Law under the never-before-used Article 15, which states: "Land, natural resources and means of production may, for the purpose of nationalization, be transferred to public ownership or other forms of public enterprise by a law that determines the nature and extent of compensation."