2.4 million can vote by mail in the coming elections

Residents with Dutch nationality aged 18 and over are eligible to vote. Dutch nationals of voting age who reside abroad are also allowed to vote; however, this group is not covered in the news release.

810 thousand young first-time voters

Altogether more than 883 thousand young people have reached the age of 18 since the previous elections for the House of Representatives were held in March 2017. Of this group, approximately 810 thousand will be entitled to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time. The remaining almost 73 thousand young people (8.3 percent) are not eligible voters as they do not have the Dutch nationality.

18 percent of voters aged 70 or older

As part of the government’s measures to curb the risk of contracting the coronavirus, all voters who will be aged 70 or older on Election Day have been offered the possibility of voting by mail. It concerns almost 2.42 million people. They represent over 18 percent of the total electorate. Of the population aged 70 and over (2.45 million people), a share of 1.5 percent do not have the Dutch nationality. In the municipalities of Utrecht and Urk, voters aged 70 and over make up slightly less than 10 percent of the electorate. Relatively the highest share of over-70s is found in the municipality of Laren in Noord-Holland province: 32 percent.

Over half of first-generation migrants eligible

Almost 93 percent of the population of voting age are eligible because of their Dutch citizenship. Among residents with a migration background, 70 percent are eligible to vote in the elections for the House of Representatives because they have the Dutch nationality. Among the population with a first-generation migration background, almost 54 percent have voting eligibility (1.15 million people). Among those with a second-generation migration background, i.e. with at least one parent who was born outside the Netherlands, 98 percent are eligible.

Estimating the voting age population (VAP)

The starting point in estimating how many people will be eligible voters on 17 March 2021 is the population as at 1 January 2021. In the period leading up to the elections, the voting age population still changes slightly. For example, in the period 1 January to 17 March 2021, an estimated 44 thousand 17-year-olds turn 18 and become eligible. At the same time, an estimated 40 thousand people pass away. These factors are not taken into account in this estimation of the voting age population (VAP). In addition, there is some foreign migration, while a number of residents may take on Dutch citizenship.