THE HAGUE – Dutch people in Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten can vote for the composition of the Senate from next year. Today the Senate agreed to form a special electoral college for Dutch citizens living outside the Netherlands, following the example of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.
After the constitutional amendment was adopted in second reading on 5 July, it was already clear that the electoral college for non-residents would be established. On Tuesday 11 October, the Senate also voted in favor of the bill that regulates how the electoral college will look and work. This makes it clear that Dutch citizens abroad will be able to vote for candidates through the non-resident electoral college for the first time in March 2023. The members of this electoral college then vote, together with the members of the Provincial Council and the members of the electoral college of the Caribbean Netherlands, on 30 May 2023 for the composition of the Senate.
Minister Hanke Bruins Slot: “Decisions taken in our parliament in many cases also directly affect Dutch people abroad. This group has been allowed to vote for the composition of the House of Representatives for years, but so far had no influence on the composition of the Senate. It is good that with the establishment of the electoral college for non-residents, that difference has now come to an end.”
To vote
The election for the members of the non-resident electoral college will take place in March 2023, at the same time as the election for the members of the Provincial Council and the election for the members of the Caribbean Netherlands electoral colleges. Voters can cast their vote by letter by post or by mail at a Dutch embassy abroad. The organization of the electoral college and the support of the members of the electoral college is done by the municipality of The Hague.
Registration to vote
To be able to vote for the electoral college, a voter must register once with the municipality of The Hague in the permanent registration for voters outside the Netherlands (www.stemvanuithetbuitenland.nl). Voters who are already registered as voters for the House of Representatives and European Parliament elections have meanwhile received an invitation from the Municipality of The Hague to apply for registration for the electoral college election. You can register up to and including February 1. Voters will then automatically receive the necessary voting documents to vote in the election.
Candidate electoral college non-residents
In order to be a member of the Electoral college, you must meet the same requirements that apply to voting for the Electoral college. This means that persons are only eligible to become a member if they are Dutch nationals of eighteen years or older, are not excluded from the right to vote and are resident abroad.
In addition, persons living in Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten must have been resident in the Netherlands for at least 10 years, or be employed in Dutch public service. The day of nomination will take place on January 30, 2023. The elected members of the non-resident electoral college have the sole task of casting a vote in the elections to the Senate. This vote will be cast in a physical session in the Netherlands on May 30, 2023.
