Students vote on campus, but not everyone knows the way to the polling station

At the polling station in the Langeveld building it is still very quiet in the morning of the municipal elections. Many international students also have the right to vote in these elections, although that does not seem to be known to everyone. “I am the only one in my friend group who is going to vote.”

At the entrance to the polling station hangs a large list of candidates. Some students cast a quick glance at it, but most have already made their choice before they step inside. That also applies to students Lotte Knuistingh Neven and Joris Freriks, who come determined to cast their votes.

Society mate

“It is important that we have the right to vote, and I want to use it”, says law student Lotte. Her choice fell on Leefbaar Rotterdam, partly based on the voter guide. “I found it difficult, mainly because you are less involved in municipal elections than in national elections. In the end I chose a local party, because I think that will mean the most for the city.”

Joris votes, as he does in national elections, for the VVD. The finance student’s choice had long been decided. “My parents vote for it too, and the voter guide pointed the same way.” He goes for the last candidate on the list. “He is a society mate of mine. I know it’s not a winnable place on the list, but I don’t think the person you vote for matters that much anyway, so I thought it would be nice to support him.”

For both students, safety and housing are the most important issues in this election, although they wonder how much influence the municipality has over these issues. “These problems should actually be tackled at national level”, says Joris.

Not in agreement with everything

Although they are both fairly certain of their choice, they do not agree with their parties on everything. For instance, they do not necessarily think Rotterdam The Hague Airport should continue to exist. “You could also expand Schiphol further”, says Joris. They also advocate a car-free city centre. “Streets such as the Meent and Witte de Withstraat should be car-free, especially in the evenings and at weekends. That makes it much safer”, thinks Lotte.

At the municipal elections, Rotterdam residents can also vote for a neighbourhood council, but that can only be done in the neighbourhood where you are registered. Many students do not seem to know this, the volunteers at the polling station note. The stack of used ballot papers for the municipal council is more than twice as large as that for the neighbourhood council.

International votes

A particular aspect of the municipal elections is that international students are allowed to vote. EU citizens may take part if they have been registered at a Dutch address since 2 February 2026. For non-EU citizens, they must have lived in the Netherlands for at least five years.

Yet many international students do not make use of this right to vote. That is also the case for Ema Dzidic, MISOC student. She knew she was allowed to vote, but decided not to. “I don’t consider myself well enough informed to go and vote. That is partly my own responsibility, but I also think that as an international student it takes more effort to get into it. Much information is in Dutch and campaigns are mainly aimed at Dutch voters.”

Going to the polls for the first time

The Italian IBA student Camilla Antiglio does cast her vote, for the first time in her life. “I found out via social media that I was allowed to vote”, she says. “I think it’s very good that this is possible, but it’s a shame that many international students don’t do it. In my friend group I’m the only one.”

According to Camilla, this is not only because students do not know they can vote. “Many international students think it is not relevant because they do not live here permanently.” She herself sees it differently. “Precisely issues such as housing affect us directly. Rent prices are often almost unaffordable for internationals.”

For her the choice was clear: she votes for GroenLinks-PvdA. After some difficulty folding the large ballot paper, her vote finally disappears into the ballot box.