He is not yet 18, but Dario Fränkel has already been able to cast his vote in the municipality of Duiven. On March 16, the day of the municipal elections, it is his birthday and that is why he was allowed to go to the polls in very exceptional cases. He was accompanied by mayor Huub Hieltjes, who personally handed him his voting pass a few weeks ago.
“Originally, the elections would only be on March 16. Because corona is not over yet, you can also vote on Mondays and Tuesdays; by law, these are the elections on March 16. On that day he will turn 18 and can vote. This has created the special situation that Dario is already allowed to vote, while he is actually still too young. We liked that so much that we decided not to go on Wednesday, but today,” Hieltjes tells. RTV Connect.
Even without that extra attention, Fränkel would have voted: “Because I think it is important to have input. Because these are municipal elections, it is about your own environment.”
In the run-up to the elections, the municipality of Duiven paid a lot of attention to young residents who are allowed to use their voting rights for the first time. They received a letter, there was attention on social media and guest lectures were given in schools to explain the importance of the city council.
