Netherlands opens unusual and nighttime polling stations for March 18 elections

Voters across the Netherlands will have access to a wide array of unusual polling locations and extended hours during the municipal elections on Wednesday, March 18. From historic castles to mosques, theaters, and even drive-in stations, the country is offering multiple options for citizens to cast their ballots.

In Amsterdam, the Anne Frank Huis is again open for voting, alongside the Olympisch Stadion and Westerkerk. In Castricum and Zwolle, polling stations will open at midnight in Tuin Van Kapitein Rommel and café Het Vliegende Paard, continuing a local tradition. Nighttime voting will also take place in Rotterdam’s Charlois neighborhood, on the Grote Markt in The Hague, and at Luxor Live in Arnhem.

In Voorschoten, voters can cast their ballots at Kasteel Duivenvoorde, which celebrates its 800th anniversary this year. People over 60 and less mobile residents can travel for free by bus to the castle polling station.

Other notable voting sites include Schouwburg Tilburg at the Louis Bouwmeesterplein and Parktheater Eindhoven. In Utrecht, voters can go to the Domkerk, Ulu Moskee, and Het Utrechts Archief. The ZZIIN Stadspaleis in The Hague, where Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard married in 1937, will also serve as a polling station, along with Stadsboerderij Schildershoeve.

A first for these elections, Ridderkerk has introduced a drive-in polling station at the parking lot of Sporthal De Wissel on Kastanjelaan. Voters can cast ballots from cars, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, or other vehicles. Arnhem voters can also use the Koepelgevangenis or Türkiyem-moskee. Leeuwarden’s provincial house and Kinderboerderij ’t Molentje in Heemstede are also polling locations.

Museum enthusiasts can vote at Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Verzetsmuseum in Amsterdam, the Dordrechts Museum, and the Nationaal Onderwijsmuseum in Dordrecht.

Concert halls and pop venues will host polling stations as well, including Patronaat (Haarlem), Zeeuwse Concertzaal (Middelburg), Melkweg (Amsterdam), PAARD (The Hague), and TivoliVredenburg (Utrecht). Voting will also be possible in several Pathé cinemas, including those in Vlissingen and Zwolle.

The country’s smallest polling station will once again be the home of Wim Westhoff on Marledijk in Marle, Overijssel. Located in a hamlet of around 70 residents in the Olst-Wijhe municipality, the house has been used as a polling station since 1948 and was previously owned by Westhoff’s parents.