“Not a small thing, but a hefty threshold,” the village council of Babyloniënbroek calls the lack of polling stations. The rural village in the municipality of Altena, which has 465 inhabitants, has to do without doing during the Lower House elections in October.
For years, the inhabitants of Babyloniënbroek have had to go to a polling station in Meeuwen, Eethen or Almkerk to be able to cast their vote with the red pencil. Those villages are about three to seven kilometers away.
Also in the rural villages of Drongelen, Oudendijk, Uppel and Waardhuizen were not to be found during the previous elections in 2023. For some residents, those long distances and limited transport options make it difficult to vote.
Elderly people in particular are now the victims. And that while voting should be simple for everyone, CDA also thinks Altena. The party therefore recently asked questions about this to the mayor and aldermen. During the New Year’s reception of the municipality of Altena, the Village Council from Babyloniënbroek previously asked for the placement of polling stations in the village.
“Every person who cannot go to the polling station is one too many.”
“Because she has had no complaints, the college does not see the need,” says secretary Henri Verhagen of the Village Council from Babyloniënbroek. That while he hears other sounds from the village. Four residents who have difficulty walking or have no driving license have expressed their concerns at the village council about the lack of polling stations. Then there were more sounds from the village. “Every person who cannot go to the polling station is one too many,” says Verhagen.
The village council in Babyloniënbroek has since indicated that it wants to support the municipality of Altena in the realization of polling stations in the village. According to Verhagen, there are plenty of suitable locations, such as the church, the ice club and a primary school.
“In addition, there is a large sense of community in a small core like Babyloniënbroek, so there are enough volunteers to sit at the polling station,” he expects. “Because of the call for your own polling station in the village, that willingness is enough.”
“Arrange volunteers, a location and a container with a slot in it.”
The chance that Babyloniënbroek will already have its own polling station next month, for the parliamentary elections, Acht Verhagen is small. “That is very short day.” The village council is therefore aiming for the realization of a polling station for the municipal elections, which will be held in March next year.
The village council hopes that the municipality of Altena can realize (mobile) polling stations in Babyloniënbroek in the future. “Make sure there are enough volunteers, arrange a location and put a container with a slot in it. It shouldn’t be that difficult.”