How will voting take place on March 18?

Which polling station do you go to?

You can choose which polling station in Zoetermeer you want to go to. The polling stations are open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The addresses of the polling stations can be found on the back of the candidate list and at www.zoetermeer.nl/verkiezingen. The polling stations are divided by neighborhood. This allows you to quickly see which polling station is closest to you.

We use as many polling stations as possible that are easily accessible. Please note that the location of the polling station where you have voted in the past may not be used as a polling station this year.

What should you bring to the polling station?

To vote, you must bring these things:

• Your voting pass or voter ID card
• A valid proof of identity (passport, driver's license or identity card)
• Are you also voting for someone else? Please remember to bring their proxy and (photo of) that person's ID with you

An identity document may be expired for a maximum of 5 years (for "valid until," all dates from March 18, 2021, onwards are acceptable).

How do you cast your vote?

Step 1: You give your voting pass and ID to a polling station official. This official checks that your ID and voting pass are correct.

Step 2: You will then be given a ballot.

Step 3: You go to a voting booth. No one else is allowed to accompany you into the voting booth (unless you need assistance voting due to a physical disability).

Step 4: Fill in the ballot paper with the red pencil. You vote by coloring in the white square in the black box in front of the candidate of your choice. You may only choose one candidate.
If you make a mistake when filling in the ballot paper, return it immediately to the chair of the polling station and ask for a new ballot paper. The chair will give you one new ballot paper.

Step 5: After filling in the ballot, fold it so that no one can see who you voted for.

Step 6: Place the ballot paper in the ballot box.

Blank and invalid votes

You want to vote but not make a choice? Then you can cast a blank ballot. You vote blank by not making any boxes red and not writing or signing on the ballot paper. You leave the ballot blank. A blank vote does not count in the results per candidate and number of seats per political party.

Ballots on which several boxes have been made red or on which there are texts or drawings that make you recognizable are invalid. The vote does not count in the results per candidate and number of seats per political party. So make sure that you color only one white dot red before the candidate of your choice.

So blank votes and invalid votes do not count but are included when calculating turnout: the number of people who came to the polling station to vote.