In the elections of next Wednesday, more polling stations are available in Drenthe than four years ago. This is a slight increase of 2 percent compared to the 2019 provincial elections.
Assen is the outlier in the Netherlands at municipal level, as the figures show. In the provincial capital, the number of voting locations will increase from 25 to 36. That is an increase of 44 percent compared to 2019.
By way of comparison: Veendam drops from 17 to 9, a decrease of 47 percent. Nissewaard also loses a lot: 18 of the 44 polling stations will disappear there, a decrease of 41 percent. In general, it is striking that the decrease in polling stations is mainly seen in urban areas. In rural areas, the number of offices is increasing slightly.
The NOS also looked at the number of polling stations that are accessible to people in wheelchairs. In 2019 that was still 92.6 percent nationally, this year it has risen to 97 percent. The province of Flevoland is 100 percent wheelchair accessible. Drenthe is, together with Groningen and Friesland, almost completely with more than 99 percent. Limburg scores the lowest with 95 percent.