News item | 31-05-2022 | 14:46
The Temporary New Ballot Paper Experiments Act makes it possible for an experiment to take place with a different model of ballot paper during an election. With a new model ballot paper, the government wants to experiment how elections can be made even more accessible. It appears that older voters, voters who are visually impaired or blind and also many polling station members find the current ballot paper too large and the letters too small. Municipalities and social organizations have therefore been asking for some time to experiment with a new ballot paper.
Experiments with this law will soon be possible in some municipalities. In this way it becomes visible in practice how a new ballot paper works. The new ballot paper is smaller and therefore easier to handle. It may display logos of political parties. It is better to use a tool like a jig, which allows blind or partially sighted voters to vote independently.
Minister Bruins Slot: “Elections are the basis of our democracy. It is important that every voter can cast his or her vote. With this bill, the government is making a contribution to the accessibility of the elections.”
Furthermore, a smaller and more manageable ballot paper makes counting easier, which can reduce the risk of errors. Exactly how the model ballot paper that is being experimented with will look like and how the voter will vote with it, is still being submitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Which election
For each election, the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations designates the municipality(s) where voting will take place with a different model ballot paper. A municipality can only be designated if the municipal council of that municipality has agreed to participate in the experiment. Around the summer, the minister will announce at which election she intends to start an experiment with a different model of ballot paper. Each experiment is carefully evaluated. On the basis of this, it will be examined whether the next step can be taken towards the introduction of a new ballot paper and, if so, which one.