Next year’s parliamentary elections will look very different due to the corona virus. Since Friday we know that we should no longer speak of the elections of 17 March, but of the elections of 15, 16 and 17 March: Minister Ollongren wants to spread the elections in three days. She also proposes that all people in the Netherlands aged 70 and older next year per brief may vote. At the moment, this is only possible for Dutch people who live abroad.
The aim of both measures is to avoid crowds in the polling stations during this time of corona and at the same time to prevent voters from not daring to vote. But before the elections can be held in this way, a lot has to be arranged.
Measures in law
Ollongren announced the measures on Friday, but she has yet to elaborate them into a law, to which both Houses must then agree. There is a good chance that they will do so, because both multi-day voting and voting by letter are proposals that the House of Representatives has asked for itself.
All kinds of preparatory measures must be taken for both plans. For example, keeping polling stations open for longer means that much more staff is needed for the polling stations and voting by post means that 2.4 million elderly people not only have to receive their ‘normal’ voting pass, but also a ‘postal ballot paper’. How these letters are to be submitted also requires quite a bit of organization. Those who receive such a letter are free to choose: they can also ‘just’ vote.
Campaign and polls
When the House spoke about the elections a few weeks ago, the side effects of early voting were also briefly discussed: it may mean that some people have already cast their votes while the campaigns are still in full swing. This is an unusual phenomenon in the Netherlands. It is also special that people can watch an election debate after they have already voted.
Furthermore, polls could be held and published on 15 and 16 March, Ollongren also sees. About the latter she wrote to the House on Friday that “it cannot be ruled out that this will affect voters who have yet to vote”. The minister does not intend to introduce new rules or prohibitions for this, but she does want to discuss with opinion pollsters and media how to deal with this.
Health check
Before Friday, Ollongren also presented a first bill to ensure that the elections in the corona crisis run smoothly. That proposal was adopted by the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority and the Senate will talk about it on Tuesday. For example, this law contains provisions on the observance of health measures.
For example, it regulates that voters may only enter the polling station if they have done a health check. The government recognizes that this is a drastic measure, but considers it necessary to protect public health.
After the House’s intervention, the proposal explicitly states that the voter is responsible for answering the questions in that check (and that he or she may not be refused).
In addition, someone may cast three proxy votes (normally two). The number of members per polling station will also be increased from three to four, because they have more tasks, such as making sure that there are not too many people inside, ensuring that voters wash their hands before entering and cleaning the pencils regularly.
Don’t postpone elections
The minister spoke on Friday of special circumstances and unorthodox measures. Theoretically, it is not even completely out of the question that the March elections will be postponed.
This is legally possible, although a separate law is required. But in her letter, Ollongren writes that, together with the municipalities, she is doing everything in its power to allow the parliamentary elections to take place on March 17: “The proposed legal measures help to make this possible.”
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