Many expats may not be aware of this, but many of them are able to vote in the municipal elections in the Netherlands coming up on March 19.
Dutch political party D66 has launched a website that provides relevant information for internationals who live in the Netherlands and are considering having a say in how their municipality is run.
It is called Can I Vote 2014, and it’s very simple: you just answer the questionnaire and the site tells you whether you are eligible to vote.
There are sections for expats living in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and in other areas of the Netherlands, offering specific information on the situation in the different areas.
International residents could form a reasonable proportion of votes in municipalities in cities like Amsterdam, where there are over 48.000 expats in a city of nearly 780.000.
All EU citizens have the right to vote in municipal elections, as do non-EU citizens who have lived in the Netherlands for five years or more.
If you are eligible, your local municipal government will send you a voting card in the mail. You need to bring this along with a valid ID to a polling station on March 19.
If you think you are eligible to vote and haven’t received a voting card in the mail, contact your local municipality.