Voter turnout rises to 40%, but remains below 2017 figures, as of 3:45 p.m.

An estimated 40 percent of eligible voters cast ballots by 3:45 p.m. in the Dutch General Election on Wednesday, research firm Ipsos told NOS. That is down from 43 percent in the 2017 election. The 2017 election was the last General Election to primarily take place on a single day. The 2021 election happened over a three-day period during the coronavirus pandemic, with adjusted rules for mail-in ballots.

Voter turnout in the Netherlands stood at 28 percent at 1:45 p.m., which was double the figure from 10:30 a.m. when 14 percent had voted. That was about three hours after most polling places opened up for the day. By comparison, roughly 33 percent of those allowed to cast a ballot in the 2017 General Election took part in the process by 1:45 p.m.

Some 78.7 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2021 General Election, and 81.6 percent voted in 2017.

At about 1 p.m., roughly 23.3 percent of Amsterdam voters had showed up to the polls. That was down from 25.1 percent in 2017.

Amsterdam is the largest city in the country. The fourth largest city, Utrecht had the highest turnout of the five biggest municipalities at 2:55 p.m. The turnout rate there was 39.8 percent.

Roughly 31.2 percent of Rotterdam voters showed up to polling places by 2:55 p.m. The Den Haag turnout was at 33.6 percent, and the rate in Eindhoven was 35.7 percent.

Groningen also had a 38.4 percent voter turnout rate midway through the afternoon, the same as in Emmen. Nearly 40 percent of Nijmegen voters showed up to cast their ballot. Hilversum's total was even higher at 40.9 percent, and in Tynaarlo that figure swelled to 45.2 percent. Turnout in Tilburg rose above 31 percent.