Voting in provincial elections
To vote in the elections for your provincial council, you must hold Dutch citizenship and also meet other conditions. Provincial council elections are held every 4 years, at the same time as the water authority elections.
Last updated 18 April 2023
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Who can vote in provincial elections?
To be able to vote in the provincial elections, you must:
- hold Dutch citizenship;
- be at least 18 years of age;
- live in the province where the election is;
- not be excluded from voting (in Dutch).
No right to vote in provincial elections without Dutch citizenship
If you do not hold Dutch citizenship, you cannot vote in provincial council elections. The waterschapsverkiezingen (water authority elections) are held at the same time, and you may be eligible to vote in those elections. However, you must meet a number of requirements.
Voting in provincial council elections
Bear the following things in mind when voting:
At least 14 days before the election:
A stempas (polling card) in Dutch will be sent to you at your home address. You must take the polling card, together with proof of your identity (in Dutch), to a stembureau (polling station). If you are eligible to vote in the waterschapsverkiezingen, you will receive two polling cards: one for the waterschap and one for the province.
At least 4 days before the election:
You will receive the candidate list, including the addresses of the polling stations.
Proxy voting:
If you are unable to vote in person, for example because you have to work or are on holiday, you can authorise another voter to cast your vote on your behalf (in Dutch).
Laws and regulations (in Dutch)
Kieswet, artikelen B 2, B 4 en B 5