The Dutch municipal elections are coming up on March 14, 15 and 16. Wondering how, where and if you can vote? Read on!
The municipal elections take place every four years in the Netherlands. Here, you can vote for the party candidates you want to see represented in your municipal council.
Your elected candidates will then go on to decide on plans and rules for your municipality. Commissioning new building projects, figuring out what to do about the housing crisis or taking care of your waste — all of these are tasks of the Dutch municipal councils.
Who is eligible to vote?
In the Netherlands, you can vote for the municipal council if:
- You are a legal resident of the Netherlands with an EU passport;
- You are over 18 years old;
- You’re not an EU citizen but have been registered as a legal citizen of the Netherlands for at least 5 years.
If you’re an eligible voter for the Dutch municipal elections, you should’ve received your polling card (stempas) in the mail already.
Has it somehow gone lost or missing? You can apply for a new slip on the official website of your municipality until 5 PM on March 11!
When can I vote?
The official election day is on Wednesday, March 16. However, some voting ballots will open on March 14 and March 15 already, if you’re looking to avoid the crowds.
All voting ballots are open from 7:30 AM to 9 PM.
Where can I vote?
You can find the nearest available voting ballots to you by using this official tool. It’s only available in Dutch, but you can type in the name of your municipality under ‘Zoek uw gemeente’ to find your nearest voting ballot.
How can I vote?
You need to take two things to the voting ballot: your polling card and a valid proof of identification. A proof identification can be a passport, a driver’s license or a resident’s document issued in the Netherlands.
Are you unable to go in person?
If you are unable to attend the election in person, you can authorise someone else to vote for you. This can be done by:
- Requesting a so-called ‘written proxy’ from your municipality. This is a form that has to be filled out by yourself and the person you’re authorising to issue your vote. The written proxy has to be returned to the municipality by March 11, 5 PM.
- Fill in the back of your polling card. Give the polling card to the person voting for you, along with a copy of your ID.
Who can I vote for?
This can be the most confusing point, especially because the list of candidates tend to be very long. You should be able to see the candidates up for election on the official website of your municipality.
If you’re entirely unfamiliar with Dutch politics, we’d recommend you check out the different party programmes to see what changes they propose for your city.
Are you taking part in the Dutch municipal elections this year? Tell us in the comments!