In five municipalities in Drenthe, residents can no longer vote within the walls of their residential care center. The elderly party 50Plus advocates a wider use of mobile polling stations.
In Assen, Hoogeveen, Meppel, De Wolden and Westerveld, among others, there are no longer any nursing homes with a polling station. That was the case in previous years, says provincial 50Plus party leader Jan Fonhof. “Before the corona years, you could go to several places in cities like Assen. They have all disappeared.”
Corona measures
Indeed, no residential care center can be found on the list of polling places of the municipality of Assen. A bad thing, says Fonhof. “This makes the threshold for voting much higher for the elderly. The corona measures have been lifted again, that should not be an objection.” The elderly do not just give an authorization to a family member or acquaintance, he says. “You really have to trust someone for that. A lot of people get rid of it then.”
Not selected
According to Janet Kuntkes of the municipality of Assen, corona is indeed to blame for the lack of polling stations in nursing homes. “Because of the preparations, the locations where you can vote are already designated six months before the elections. At the time of that decision, the ministry still advised to take the corona measures into account. That is why we have not selected nursing homes for this election.”
A spokesperson for Woonzorg, with three locations in Assen, confirms that he has not been approached. “But we are always open to requests from the municipality. We then discuss this with the tenants of the relevant complex.” Interzorg, which previously accounted for two polling stations, also received no request this year.
Mobile polling station
There are alternatives to a traditional polling station. A mobile polling station will be used this year in Emmen, Coevorden and Noordenveld, says project leader Donna Dijkstra of the municipality of Coevorden. “In addition, a polling station is set up for a few hours in a residential care center, which is then moved to the next location.”
The municipality started using these mobile polling stations during the corona pandemic. “It was immediately used,” says Dijkstra. “Residents like to cast their vote themselves, it makes them more involved.”
This year there are two vans driving around Coevorden, both of which visit three locations. “In this way we also reach smaller centers that do not have enough residents for a polling station that is open all day.”
Widely deployed
Those mobile polling stations should be used more widely if it is up to Jan Fonhof. “People are getting older and there will be many more seniors in the future. They must also be given the opportunity to exercise their democratic right.”
His call will not be heard in Assen this year, says municipal spokesman Kuntkes. “With less than two weeks until the elections, that was not realistic. We specifically looked at the locations for polling stations around nursing homes. We hope to keep the walking distances as short as possible.”