Parliamentary elections: 1 in 22 polling stations are not accessible to the disabled

Disabled people can't go to every polling place to cast their vote for the Tweede Kamer on Wednesday, even though they should. About 1 in 22 polling stations is inaccessible, reports the Open State Foundation, which advocates for government transparency. The organization collected the data for the platform Where is my polling station?

There are over 9800 polling stations in the upcoming parliamentary elections. In 234 of the 342 municipalities, all polling stations are accessible to people with disabilities. However, this does not apply to more than 400 polling stations, around 4.5 percent of the total number. These are spread across 108 municipalities, including major cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Almere, Groningen, Apeldoorn, and Zwolle.

From 2019, municipalities must ensure that all polling stations are accessible to people with disabilities. For example, every polling station must have at least one polling booth with a lowered writing surface for wheelchair users. There must also be a disabled parking space as close as possible to the entrance. Obstacles must be removed. If this is still not achieved, the municipalities must explain to their city council which offices are affected and why they are not accessible.

The ANP asked around 250 municipalities what they are doing to regulate accessibility. Amsterdam said it ensures "a minimum height difference between the sidewalk and the entrance and at other thresholds in polling stations. This allows people with walkers or wheelchairs to enter and leave the polling station without any problems". Municipalities such as Eindhoven, Breda, Enschede, Alkmaar, Gouda, and Wageningen also installed threshold aids so that people could walk or drive over them.

Eindhoven, Schiedam, Enkhuizen, and several other municipalities are installing ramps for people who cannot climb stairs. Leeuwarden, Alphen aan den Rijn, and Veenendaal, among others, have extra-wide voting booths for wheelchairs and walkers. Some municipalities organize special transport for people with disabilities to and from the polling station before the elections. This is the case in Groningen, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Tilburg, and Sittard-Geleen.

Furthermore, The Hague, Utrecht, Leeuwarden, Eemsdelta, and Midden-Groningen are setting up disabled toilets in the polling stations. "We think it's important that everyone can go to the polls. It's often the little things. A disabled toilet has a lowering effect," the municipality of Utrecht explained.