81 and yet today to the polling station: Ger wants to see with his own eyes how his daughter succeeds him as chairman

For many years Ger was the chairman of the voting office Lust for Life in Zundert. But now daughter Chantal is in charge. “We are getting a lot of nice reactions now that the roles have been reversed.”

Chantal Dobbe (50) has several years of experience as an employee of a polling station and for a number of years also as a polling station chairman. A position that she took over from her father Ger van Haaren.

Family affair

Politics has always been important in Ger and Chantal’s family. Ger was for a long time VVD councilor and chairman of the electoral committee Lust for Life in Zundert, North Brabant. For example, Chantal has also become enthusiastic about working at a polling station.

For years Chantal and her father worked together at the polling station; he as chairman and she as employee. A real family affair.

Do not vote by mail

“It’s nice that she has now taken over the baton”, Ger says proudly. “She has had to take a course and is doing very well.” Although 81-year-old Ger is actually allowed to vote by mail because of corona, he does not do that on purpose. “I don’t want to miss this moment when I can cast my vote in my daughter’s polling station.” That is why he will come and cast his vote physically today, despite the corona virus.

Zundert has also had to deal with the corona virus, says Ger. “I am a volunteer at the elderly center, which also houses the voting office Levenslust. Everything was locked due to corona. We could no longer meet to eat together and the bingo was canceled.” Yet he does not want to complain: “No one in our family has passed away from us because of the virus, so we can count ourselves lucky.”

Voting during corona

Chantal’s polling station resembles her father’s in many ways, but is slightly different this year. For example, everyone wears a mouth mask, there is a lot of cleaning in between and there is a cough screen between the employees of the polling station and the voters.

Nevertheless, Chantal is not worried and is completely ready: “You just have to stick to the measures and then it will be fine. The employees also get the chance to get a quick test before and after election day if they want to. . “

Dusty and dull image

Chantal thinks it is important to convey to young people that polling stations are not ‘dusty’ and ‘dull’ at all, even though they may have such an image. With whom this has already succeeded is 20-year-old Diede Kustermans. Today she helps Chantal at the polling station, as the youngest employee of Zundert.

“I was asked by my mother Resy who has been working at the polling station for some time.” I happen to be off today and it seemed like a lot of fun. I would like to contribute “, says Diede.

No expectations

Diede thinks it is important that young people vote and learn more about this. “Surely it is our future that we are voting on, and I am helping to make sure that it runs smoothly.”

The 20-year-old is not yet sure what to expect today. “I think it is very different from other years due to corona. I wonder whether it is quiet today or mega busy. I just let it get over me.”

Take over baton

And whether Chantal can also make her children enthusiastic to help out at the polling station? She hopes. At the moment they are not allowed to vote, and they are not yet allowed to be a member of the polling station.

“My youngest son already received compliments at school for knowing a lot about it,” she says. “I think I can get them to share in the love for the polling station.”