Dutch municipal elections see turnout rise to 53.7 percent; Up from 2022

Voter turnout in Wednesday’s municipal elections reached 53.7 percent of eligible voters, based on figures from the ANP Election Service. This marks an increase compared to 2022, when turnout stood at 51 percent.

In 2022, voting was spread over three days due to the coronavirus. Turnout was higher in earlier years, reaching 55 percent in 2018 and 54 percent in 2014.

Rob Jetten has said he will descend from the Euromast if turnout nationwide surpasses the previous election. The prime minister is following the example of Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten, who made a similar promise based on turnout in her city. When the stunt will happen remains unclear.

Data from the ANP Election Service show that most municipalities using a smaller ballot saw a rise in invalid votes. In Den Bosch, the rate climbed notably, increasing from 0.2 percent in 2022 to 0.8 percent.

Boekel also saw a sharp rise, with invalid votes doubling from 0.4 percent in the last municipal elections to 0.8 percent on Wednesday. Among the 11 municipalities involved in the pilot, Soest was the only one where the share of invalid votes stayed the same, at 0.2 percent.

Nederweert, Schiermonnikoog, and Vaals recorded the highest shares of invalid votes, at 1.8 percent, 1.1 percent, and 1.1 percent. Notably, these municipalities used the traditional larger ballot papers.

Blank voting increased in the municipality of Moerdijk, where the village sharing its name faces possible dissolution. On Wednesday, 0.5 percent of ballots were left blank, up from 0.2 percent in 2022, rising from 31 blank votes four years ago to 87 this year.

Casting a blank vote means showing up at the polls without marking the ballot. The reason behind the rise in such votes remains unclear. However, the group blancostem.nl had urged voters to use this method as a form of protest against the planned dissolution of the village of Moerdijk, a decision earlier backed by the municipal council.

“I do not necessarily see a blank vote as a vote against,” said Mayor Aart-Jan Moerkerke of the Noord-Brabant municipality. “This issue is so complex that I can well imagine people not knowing what to vote for. In any case, I would rather people cast a blank vote than not vote at all.”

Danny Dingemans, the alderman overseeing plans to expand Moerdijk’s port and industrial area, led the vote with the VVD. His party secured four seats in the new council, matching Forum voor Democratie, which entered the Moerdijk elections for the first time.

Dingemans criticized calls from blancostem.nl to submit blank ballots, saying he sees no constructive value in the tactic. According to him, the small number of blank votes has little impact and does not send a meaningful signal, arguing that voters are better off supporting a party that reflects their views.