Dutch municipalities face volunteer shortages ahead of parliamentary elections

Most Dutch municipalities have managed to secure enough volunteers for election day, but some have struggled to find sufficient staff to man polling stations and count votes once the polls close. That’s according to an ANP survey of roughly two hundred municipalities.

The municipality of Eemsdelta in Groningen reports that all polling stations are now staffed, though it took more effort than in previous years. “People seem less willing to volunteer, and overall interest is waning,” a spokesperson said, adding that enthusiasm among citizens is “minimal,” particularly among young people.

The town of Best in Noord-Brabant has faced a similar issue. Although it received enough volunteers to man its polling stations, officials say it remains “a challenge to achieve an age-balanced team,” noting that while applicants aged 65 and older are plentiful, far fewer younger residents are stepping forward.

Boekel in Noord-Brabant has managed to staff all its polling stations, but the reserve list is short. “We can only hope there’s no flu outbreak,” a municipal official said. “It seems to get harder every year to find citizens willing to assist during elections.”

The same concern is echoed in Harderwijk, where enough volunteers have signed up, but officials note a lack of backup workers as flu season begins, often leading to last-minute cancellations. Other municipalities, including Heerlen, Heemskerk, Kaag en Braassem, and Roerdalen, also report having few substitutes available.

The municipality of Bergen op Zoom reports that all polling stations are fully staffed and that there are enough reserve members as well. Still, officials note that enthusiasm for counting votes or joining the reserve list is waning.

Geldrop-Mierlo has seen the same trend. Although it was able to fill polling stations and reserve positions quickly, the municipality says it has had to make repeated appeals to recruit enough vote counters and alternates.

Since 2000, the Netherlands has held 29 nationwide elections: eight parliamentary elections, six municipal, five European, three solely for the Provincial States, one exclusively for the water boards, three combined Provincial States–water board elections, and three advisory referendums. The upcoming Tweede Kamer, which is the lower house of Dutch parliament, will vote on October 29 and mark the country’s 30th national election of the century.