{"id":84703,"date":"2018-03-05T12:03:23","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T11:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=84703"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:57","slug":"if-youre-an-international-student-you-may-vote-in-the-upcoming-local-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/03\/05\/if-youre-an-international-student-you-may-vote-in-the-upcoming-local-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"International student? You may vote in the upcoming elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you an EU student or have you lived in the Netherlands for more than five years? Congratulations! You probably didn\u2019t know, but you have the right to vote in the upcoming Rotterdam elections. Seeing that the elections are just around the corner, Wednesday 21st of March, here\u2019s a guide to everything you\u2019ll need to know for election day.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJob Zomerplaag<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Why should I care?<\/h2>

Because you value democracy, right? Well, if the prospect of democracy doesn\u2019t fire\u00a0you up enough to rock the vote, there are many other reasons why you should cast a\u00a0ballot. Gemeenteraden<\/em>, local councils, are a vital tier in the Dutch government\u00a0system that essentially preside over all things local. What members of city council\u00a0decide upon can have a big impact on your daily life as a student. For the past year\u00a0for example, the University has been quarreling with the council<\/a> about the shortage\u00a0of accommodations for its international students. The outcome of the upcoming\u00a0elections could play a big role in solving this issue.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve already got your accommodation sorted out, there are still plenty of reasons\u00a0why you should care. For instance, the city council is responsible for building local\u00a0infrastructure such as cycling paths, taking care of local welfare and providing home\u00a0care. And they have the authority to decide on the closing hours of your favorite clubs\u00a0and coffee shops, which may be a more critical issue for students than the other\u00a0reasons listed above.<\/p>\n

How does the city government work? <\/h2>

The Rotterdam city council is made up of 45 representatives, currently representing as many as 12 different parties. These councillors draw up policies for the city and supervise the execution of them within the city. The city council also determines the annual budget for Rotterdam.<\/p>\n

Due of the vast number of parties taking part in the elections, city councils are forced to form coalitions. As soon as the votes have been counted, the winning parties will begin to form a working coalition of parties with similar ideals that can work together to create and implement policies. Rotterdam also has a layer below the city council, the district committees, which focus on very local issues in places such as Kralingen and Noord. The members of these committees will be elected on March 21st as well.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGemeente Rotterdam<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

So catch me up about local politics in Rotterdam? <\/h2>

As far as local elections go, this one is a real doozy. Rotterdam is expected to
\nbecome a battlefield on election day as all the national parties, as well as local political parties, are contesting for votes. The populist party PVV, which was founded by Geert Wilders, whom the New York Times<\/a> compared to Donald Trump, is running for the first time this year. On the other side of the coin we have parties such as NIDA and DENK, which are popular particularly among the Moroccan and Turkish diaspora.<\/p>\n

Between these parties there\u2019s more than a dozen other parties from all sides of the political spectrum to choose. Left-wing green party Groenlinks is currently second in the polls, and wants to form a progressive coalition, without populist parties PVV and Leefbaar Rotterdam, the party that currently has the most representatives in the council. Considering the most<\/a>\u00a0recent polls, these parties are expected to get around 25 percent of the votes in Rotterdam.<\/p>\n

If these parties don\u2019t satisfy your political sweet tooth, there are a few other standout options to choose from. For all you old souls, there\u2019s the party 50 Plus, which looks out for the interests of geriatrics. The Ubuntu Connected Front, a party representing\u00a0the Caribbean and African Rotterdammer. And the Orthodox-Christian party JezusLeeft (Jesus is alive), whom you might have seen driving around the city in their big blue schoolbus with the words \u201cJesus loves you\u201d painted on the front.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWikiCommons <\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How to cast your vote on election day<\/h2>

So I am eligible to vote, what is next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Voting has never been this easy: a stempas<\/em> (voting card) will be sent directly to your mailbox from the Rotterdam municipality. To vote, all you have to do is go to a local polling station on March 21 with your voting card and ID. Polling stations are located all across the city, including on campus. And don\u2019t worry about oversleeping; you can cast your vote from 7.30 to 21.00 hours.<\/p>\n

What do I do once I get to the polling station?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Rotterdam alone, there are 519 candidates belonging to 20 different parties. That means the ballot paper is ridiculously large, so don\u2019t be surprised if you\u2019re handed something that resembles a map when you enter the polling station. Once you\u2019ve chosen the one who deserves your vote, you can express your almighty power by filling in a little square next to the name with a cute red pencil. Do not \u2018tick\u2019 two boxes or your vote will not be considered. If a Russian-sounding person walks into your polling booth and tells you how you should vote, avoid colluding with them. Oh, and there is no need to buy red pencils yourself: these are provided in the polling booths.<\/p>\n

More information? Read all the election coverage in this special<\/a>. And also check out the helpful guide<\/a> written by our friends from the jEURnalist<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\t

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