Provisional turnout 54.1%; Most non-voters didn't vote out of disinterest, lack of trust

The provisional turnout for yesterday’s city council elections is higher than in 2022. With most of the votes counted, and only Amsterdam and Hoorn’s results still outstanding, 54.1 percent of the 14.3 million eligible voters cast their ballots on Wednesday, according to an ANP forecast. In the 2022 municipal elections, the turnout was 51 percent. The main reasons not to go to the polls were disinterest and a lack of trust in politics.

The turnout means that Prime Minister Rob Jetten will have to abseil down the Euromast. Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten said she would do that, despite her fear of heights, if her city’s turnout was higher than in 2022. Jetten said he would join her if the national turnout was higher. Rotterdam’s turnout was 40.7 percent, a little less than 2 percentage points higher than in 2022. So both politicians will soon be jumping off the Euromast.

A turnout of 54.1 percent still means that nearly half of Dutch voters didn’t vote. According to an Ipsos I&O exit poll for NOS, 43 percent of non-voters didn’t go to the polls out of a lack of interest in local politics. When polling interest in local politics, 59 percent of eligible voters told Ipsos I&O they were “somewhat” interested, and 26 percent declared utter uninterest. Only 15 percent said they were very interested in local politics

30 percent of non-voters said they didn’t vote because they don’t trust local politicians, and 27 percent said it was because they don’t trust national politicians. Over a fifth, 22 percent, also said that they don’t think their vote would accomplish anything.

Housing was the most important theme for citizens in these elections. Half, 51 percent, indicated housing was their top priority, up from 36 percent in 2022. Other priorities were safety (38%), traffic and public transport (27%), nature in their neighborhood (26%), care for the elderly and social support (26%), and asylum reception (26%).

Local parties by far got the majority of the votes in these elections. Citizens had various reasons for voting for a local party. Of the voters who voted local, 47 percent said that local parties have a better understanding of what is going on, according to an Ipsos I&O poll. 45 percent said that local parties advocate better for local interests.

Nearly a third, 31 percent, voted local because they agree more with the party in question, 14 percent said their national party wasn’t participating in their municipality, and 13 percent voted local because they personally know someone in the party.