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Dutch Should End On-Demand Proxy Voting
46 Plays20 days ago
Democracy Volunteers deployed observers across the Netherlands for the parliamentary elections in October. Deploying 32 observers and experts, 25 of whom were based in the European Netherlands and the other 7 on the BES islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.
Democracy Volunteers has now observed in The Netherlands on 8 separate occasions, deploying 99 observers, across 63 of the 345 municipalities and special municipalities, attending 619 polling stations, observing 19,833 voters casting their votes. We have spent 308 hours in Dutch polling stations. On average we have spent 47 minutes in each polling station during these 8 observations.
You can read the full report on the Democracy Volunteers Website: www.democracyvolunteers.org
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Transcript
Introduction to 2025 Election Observation in Netherlands
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In October 2025, Democracy Volunteers deployed a team of 32 election observers to the Netherlands for the parliamentary elections. Democracy Volunteers has now observed in the Netherlands on eight separate occasions, deploying 99 observers across 63 of the 345 municipalities and special municipalities.
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...attending 619 polling stations, observing 19,833 voters casting their votes. They have spent 308 hours in Dutch polling stations.
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On average, we spend 47 minutes in each polling station during these eight observations.
Caribbean Mission Scope
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in 2025 as well as the European Netherlands. Democracy volunteers also deployed observers to the three special municipalities in the Caribbean.
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Bonaire, Sint-Ostasius and Saba.
Expert Consultations Across Netherlands
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The team met experts and election officials across the country, attending polling stations from Ter Schelling Island and Den Helden in the North to Maastricht in the South.
Areas for Electoral Improvement
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Recommendations in the report cover the following areas, which a team of observers identified as areas for improvement.
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On-demand proxy voting on polling day Family voting Signage for polling stations Accessibility Polling hours in the Dutch Caribbean Kingdom-wide campaign responsibility Clarification and strengthening rules and inducements
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Public broadcasting coverage in the BES Islands
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Polling, projections and mythology transparency Coverage of immigration and foreign affairs Here's the Director of Democracy Volunteers, Dr. John Ault, said about the team's observations.
Critique of Proxy Voting System
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It is impossible for electoral authorities in the Netherlands to know to what extent consent has been given to the proxy voter by the person they are voting on behalf of. On-demand proxy voting, as practiced Netherlands, is open to intimidation, of vote buying and legitimizes, even formalizes family voting.
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This is when the head of a household, for example, is able to dictate another's vote and cast it in their name. In other countries, family voting is illegal. In the Netherlands, it is formalized with the practice of on-demand proxy voting and should end.