Over 8.7 million ballots cast in Dutch election by 8 p.m., with polls closing at 9 p.m.

Approximately 65 percent of eligible voters had already cast a ballot in the 2025 Dutch General Election by 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, research firm Ipsos I&O told NOS. The estimate would equate to about 8.7 million votes, considering more than 13.4 million people are eligible to participate, data from Statistics Netherlands showed. The polls were due to close at 9 p.m. when ballots will be counted to determine the parties with the most seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament.

During the election almost exactly two years ago, voter turnout was at 66 percent. At several points in the day, Wednesday's turnout remained 1 or 2 percentage points lower compared to 2023. That year, just under 10.5 million votes were cast, making the turnout rate 77.75 percent, slightly below the three-day election held during the coronavirus pandemic in 2021.

This time around, turnout appeared to trend higher in the major cities in the Netherlands, with polling places seeing a surge in interest after many offices closed for the day. Just over 66 percent of voters in The Hague had turned out by 8 p.m., amounting to nearly 237,000 people dropping off ballots in the third largest city.

A staggering 77.6 percent of registered voters in Utrecht, the fourth largest city, showed up to the polls by 8 p.m. That translates to about 206,500 votes at that location. This was about a half-point higher than in 2023.

Roughly 114,200 people voted by 8 p.m. in Eindhoven, the fifth largest city, accounting for a turnout rate of 69.6 percent with an hour left in the election. And a stunningly high 78.4 percent of eligible voters turned out in Groningen by 8 p.m., meaning around 143,400 people submitted their ballots there.

Figures were not as strong in Rotterdam, even though the second-largest city showed a higher turnout than during the election two years ago. By 8 p.m., around 60 percent of eligible voters in Rotterdam cast their ballots. That was equivalent to about 278,000 people.

Data from Amsterdam was not available at 8 p.m., but the turnout rate in the capital was 54.9 percent at 6 p.m. Only about two-thirds of Amsterdam voters showed up during the last election.