No major opening issues as early voters cast their votes

Nearly all polling stations in the Netherlands are open, and no early issues have been reported. Early voters have already cast their votes at some special polling stations. Most opened at 7:30 a.m., but some opened earlier. Over 13.4 million eligible voters can cast their ballots until 9:00 p.m.

Museum Arnhem was open between midnight and 2:00 a.m. Arnhem mayor Ahmed Marcouch cast his vote there. In Zwolle, Mayor Peter Snijders was one of the first to vote at around midnight at the student bar Het Vliegende Paard. The goal of this polling station was to reach young people, and he stood in line with several students, according to live blogs on NOS and RTL Nieuws.

In Castcricum, people could vote between midnight and 1:00 a.m. in the Tuin van Kapitein Rommel. As per tradition, D66 parliamentarian Jan Paternotte showed up early, sitting on a folding chair before midnight. He wasn’t first in line. According to NOS, another man had been waiting there since 9:00 p.m. in order to be one of the first voters in the parliamentary election.

Polling stations also opened earlier at many train stations to accommodate early commuters. In Winterswijk, voters could vote from 5:00 a.m. PvdD leader Esther Ouwehand voted at 7:35 a.m. at Den Haag Central Station.

The polling stations close at 9:00 p.m. After that, only voters already in line are allowed to vote.

Today is the 30th time since 2000 that the Nehterlands has gone to the polls. So far this century, the Netherlands has held three national referendums, nine parliamentary elections, six municipal elections, five European Parliament elections, three Provincial Council elections, one for the water boards only, and three combined elections for the Provincial Councils and water boards simultaneously.

The turnout for the previous parliamentary election in November 2023 was 77.7 percent. Nearly 10.5 million of the around 13.5 million eligible voters cast their ballots.