Elections in the Caribbean Netherlands in English with International Sign Language (IS). The video below explains how to vote on Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius.
Am I eligible to vote?
Every Dutch citizen with voting rights is eligible to vote from the age of 18. Voting is not compulsory. A judge may exclude someone from voting. This is only possible in the case of certain crimes specified in the law. These Dutch citizens are then not allowed to vote in any elections.
What do I need to vote?
You need a voting pass to be able to vote. Your public entity will send you the voting pass no later than fourteen days before the election.
With the voting pass, you can vote at any polling station within your public entity.
You will also need proof of identity. This can be
- your Dutch passport,
- your sedula (issued by Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba or the Netherlands),
- your driving licence (issued by Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba) or
- your foreigner's document.
The proof of identity may not have expired for more than 5 years.
Where can I vote?
Your voting pass will indicate the nearest polling station. You will also receive a list of all the addresses where you can vote, which will be sent to your home address.
Can I vote in another municipality?
If you want to vote at a public entity or in a municipality other than where you live, you will need a voter's pass. For example, if you live on Saba and want to vote on Sint Eustatius. You can apply for a voter's pass from your public entity. With this pass, you can vote anywhere in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including the European Netherlands.
Who can I vote for?
No later than 14 days before an election, you will receive a list of candidates from your public entity. This list contains the names of the parties and their candidates.
How do I vote?
You will receive a ballot paper at the polling station. You can use a red pencil to mark your choice of candidate in the voting booth. Then fold the ballot paper so that your choice is not visible and place it in the ballot box.
The voting booths in the polling station must be positioned in such a way that no one can see who you are voting for. Only if you have a physical disability you are allowed to receive assistance in the voting booth.
Can someone else vote for me?
You can authorise someone to vote for you. For example, if you are ill or on holiday abroad.
Authorising someone with your voting pass
You can authorise someone with your voting pass. This is only possible if you and the authorised representative live in the same public entity. You both sign the back of the voting pass.
The authorised representative takes your voting pass and a copy of sedula to the polling station. The authorised representative must also show proof of their own identity.
Authorising someone with an authorisation form
Would you like to authorise someone from another public entity or municipality? Then you will need an authorisation form. You can request this form from your public entity. You and the authorised representative must sign this form. The authorised representative will then receive a certificate of authorisation allowing them to vote on your behalf. You can submit the form up to 5 days before election day.
Questions?
Do you have questions about elections? Ask your public entity. You can engage a Dutch sign language interpreter or a speech-to-text interpreter for this purpose.