Voting stations R'dam, Hague opened late

Some early voters from Rotterdam and The Hague came upon closed doors at voting stations Wednesday morning. Two voting areas opened almost an hour late because several voting station staff members overslept. The stations should have been open at 7:30 a.m., but ballots could only be cast after 9 a.m. At the Kolkmanstraat in Rotterdam-Noord and the Polderplein in Zuid, early voters could do nothing but wait. The voting law states that at least three voting station staff members have to be present for the station to open. The Kolkmanstraat was open at 8:45 a.m. and the Polderplein a little later. According to a spokesperson from the Elections Bureau, two out of three staff members for the station at the Kolkmanstraat overslept. "Because the call team immediately sprung into action to sort out replacements, there are now five" the spokesperson tells RTV Rijnmond. The sport center at the Polderplein was staffed by four people after some calls went around. The voting station at school De Vlieger in Ypenburg also opened 20 minutes too late Wednesday morning. "The voting materials were missing and a voting station can only open if all equipment is present", a spokesperson for the municipality of The Hague said.