Civil Registry unit manager Nadine De Graff-Busby (third right) with Government Commissioner Marnix van Rij (second right) and Deputy Government Commissioner Alida Francis (right) at the polling station in St. Eustatius.
ST. EUSTATIUS--Government Commissioner Marnix van Rij and Deputy Government Commissioner Alida Francis toured the polling station on Tuesday ahead of today’s, Wednesday’s, election for the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber.
There are 1,893 eligible voters in St. Eustatius. The polling station at Ernest van Putten Youth Center/Lions’ Den in Concordia will be open 7:30am to 9:00pm.
The government commissioners received a demonstration of what voters will encounter when they come in to vote and each voting bureau member explained their responsibility on Election Day.
A voting bureau member (left) pointing out where the red pencils need to be dropped off after voting.
The walkthrough included how the polling station is organised to limit persons interacting with each other to accommodate COVID-19 regulations. Civil Registry unit manager Nadine De Graff-Busby and her team explained their plans to ensure the safety of voters and voting bureau members on Election Day.
De Graf said that all Dutch citizens who were registered in Statia by February 1, 2021, are eligible to vote in the general election.
All voters are required to wear a mask and are instructed to keep a distance of 1.5 metres from each other and from staff. Hand sanitiser will be provided. Gloves will be available for those with a sensitivity to hand sanitiser. Persons are reminded to cough or sneeze into their elbow should the need arise.
There will be no pencils in the voting booths. Persons will be handed a pencil and their ballot after their documents are checked and found to be in order. After voting, voters will be asked to drop their pencil into a box.
Registered voters are asked to bring their voting card and valid identification (ID), such as a passport, driver’s licence or identification card. IDs are allowed to be expired for a maximum of five years on Election Day, De Graff-Busby said.
Before arriving at the voting station, persons are asked to carry out a self-health check to ensure they are free of symptoms such as coughing, a fever or elevated temperature, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell. Persons with symptoms are urged to vote by proxy. A checkpoint is set up at the gate of the polling station where documents will be checked, De Graff-Busby said.
Van Rij said the Second Chamber will play an important role in policy and decision-making for the upcoming four years and is important for Statia.
The Second Chamber consists of 150 members and they represent not only voters in the Netherlands but also Statia residents with a Dutch passport.
Thirteen million people were allowed to vote in the 2017 election and 10 million voters cast their vote. “That was a very high turnout in 2017. Due to the COVID situation, it is expected that the turnout will be lower now, but no one knows what will happen,” Van Rij said.
He said that if 80 per cent of eligible voters were to show up this election, it would require some 60,000 votes to obtain one seat in Parliament.
The role of the Second Chamber is to control the Dutch government, to make new laws together with the government and make decisions on important issues such as education, healthcare, the environment and the economy, and foreign policy.
“By voting you can make use of your democratic right, together with other voters. Wednesday night we will know how the new Second Chamber will be composed. On May 31, the installation of the new members will take place. As a voter you will influence the decision-making process for the next four years,” said Van Rij.
