Nearly 13.6 million can vote in municipal election; Voting aid consulted 1.8 million times
Nearly 13.6 million people can cast their votes in this year's municipal election. 334 of the 345 municipalities are participating, and there are 8,235 council seats to fill. Online voting aid MijnStem, which is available for 253 municipalities, was consulted at least 1.8 million times in the run-up to the elections.
To promote the spread of voters and prevent overcrowded polling stations, the voting locations opened for three days, like during the parliamentary elections last year. On Monday and Tuesday, voters could go to over 1,700 polling stations. Today around 8,800 polling stations are open, most between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Face masks are not mandatory in the polling stations, and there is no need to maintain social distancing. Still, municipalizes set up the stations so that people can stay 1.5 meters apart.
Almost all Netherlands residents over the age of 18 can vote. People can also vote if they come from a European Union member state or a non-EU country and have lived here for at least five years. People from outside the EU who have lived here for less than five years are not allowed to vote. This is most common in Amstelveen, where a tenth of the population can't vote. Wageningen and Diemen also have a relatively large number of residents who can't vote. Inmates are also allowed to vote. This is usually done by proxy but can also be done in person if they have leave for the day or if a polling station has been set up in the penitentiary. Read More…
