Voter turnout at about 12% in the Netherlands so far, down a bit from 2023
Approximately 12 percent of 13.4 million eligible voters in the Netherlands had already cast their ballot in the 2025 General Election by 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to research firm Ipsos I&O. Some 14 percent of voters had dropped their ballots in polling station boxes at the same time during the 2023 election, when voters choose the politicians who will serve in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament.
Nationally, early turnout was also down compared to 2017, when 15 percent of people had voted by 10:30 a.m. Figures for the 2021 election are not easily compared, as voters were allowed to cast ballots over a three-day period to make it easier for the public to carry out their civic duty while also adhering to social distancing measures in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
At the same time, turnout seemed to be higher in three of the four largest cities. Some 22.5 percent of Rotterdam voters had cast a ballot by 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, according to preliminary figures. That was up from about 18 percent at about the same time of day in 2023. Roughly 25.1 percent of those registered in The Hague had done the same, compared to 19 percent two years ago.
Turnout also appeared to be higher in Utrecht, with about 27 percent voting by midday compared to 23.5 percent in 2023. Eindhoven was also rising towards 27 percent turnout just after 12 p.m., also an increase of several percentage points from the previous election. Amsterdam data was due to be released around 1 p.m.
A total of 77.7 percent of 13.3 eligible voters participated in the previous Tweede Kamer election, which was a stunning victory for the far-right PVV, led by Geert Wilders. The most recent polls show that the far-right nationalist’s party does not command the same support as in 2023, but could again receive a plurality of votes. Recent polls also show centrist party D66 and left-wing alliance GroenLinks-PvdA in a dogfight with the PVV for the top spot in the current election.
All voting stations opened by 7:30 a.m., though a handful opened earlier, including a location in Castricum which kicked things off at the stroke of midnight. All polling places will close at 9 p.m., at which point the first exit poll results will be released. These will be further refined over the course of the evening, and into Thursday morning. The exit polls from Ipsos I&O are often used as a barometer for the eventual results.
