In the Zaanse Rosmolen district, the turnout at the previous House of Representatives elections was the lowest in all of Zaandam. How do residents view tomorrow’s elections and will they vote this time?
On the eve of the elections, the 2021 scenario does not appear to be repeating itself. Many residents are even surprised when they hear that turnout in the previous elections was so low. “At the polls I always encounter the entire neighborhood. My wife votes, my neighbor too. And that’s how it should be, because voting is a right. Entire wars have been fought to be able to vote,” says David.
In the 2021 House of Representatives elections, around 55% of the Rosmolenbuurt went to the polls, the lowest percentage in all of Zaandam. In the rest of the municipality of Zaanstad, turnout was much higher, around 77%. The winners of the elections were the VVD, D66 and the PVV.
Tinie Wik sits in the community center, together with her manual labor group. The group of 7 women are having a ‘craft afternoon’ and will discuss tomorrow’s elections. Wik understands that the turnout was low in the Rosmolenbuurt last time, but expects things to be different tomorrow. “People are so tired of being cheated, now they’re taking the opportunity to vote for something else.”
Working class district
The Rosmolenbuurt is an old working-class district, where a lot has changed in recent years. For example, a large part of the neighborhood was demolished in 2017, and a lot of houses are scheduled for demolition next year. New apartments and houses have been built on the site of the demolished homes, which, according to an anonymous local resident, are a lot more expensive than the old houses.
According to a resident who prefers to remain anonymous, people in the working-class district simply vote less often. “The residents of this neighborhood are often a bit older and usually have a small wallet. They do not feel represented. Topics such as sustainability, electric driving, they simply do not care about them.”
‘Look,’ says another passer-by, ‘what people receive in their letterbox here, they throw away. The world is far away in this neighborhood. And you notice that, because you don’t see anyone here handing out flyers. Political parties no longer invest energy in the Rosmolenbuurt, because there is no point anyway. People don’t vote here.”
Make yourself heard
Nandra hopes that her neighbors will go to the polls tomorrow. “I always vote and tomorrow I will take everyone to the polling station. My husband, my son, everyone has to vote. Make yourself heard, that is the most important thing.”