# Voters would get a smaller ballot paper from 2029

> Interior Minister Heerma has put a bill on a smaller national ballot paper out for consultation. The aim is for all voters to use it from the 2029 European elections.

Politics · published 2026-11-02 14:31 · https://nlnow.nl/a/smaller-ballot-paper-planned-for-all-dutch-voters-by-2029/

Minister Heerma of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations wants to replace the current large ballot paper with a smaller, clearer one across the country. The bill is now out for consultation. The aim is for every voter to use the new ballot from the European elections in 2029.

**Why it matters**

- Voters tick the party and the number of the candidate they want. Candidates' names move to a list in the voting booth.
- Party logos appear on the ballot.
- Anyone can respond to the bill at internetconsultatie.nl until 15 January 2027.

The ministry says the smaller ballot makes it easier for voters with a visual impairment to vote independently, for example with a voting template (stemmal). It also allows faster, more structured counting, and ballot boxes fill up less quickly.

The ballot was tested in eleven municipalities over the past three elections. Voters, municipalities and poll workers responded positively, and Heerma decided in July 2026 to introduce it nationally. The ministry also notes that some voters need to get used to the new way of voting, and that the share of invalid votes is slightly higher than with the current ballot.

The same eleven municipalities have been invited to use the new ballot again in the Provinciale Staten (provincial council) and water board elections on 17 March 2027. The ministry says what is learnt then will feed into the national rollout.

After the consultation, the bill will go to the Raad van State, the Council of State. It is expected to reach the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament, before summer 2027.

## Background

- **Raad van State**: The Council of State, which advises the government and parliament on proposed laws and is also the highest administrative court.
- **Provinciale Staten**: The Provinciale Staten (provincial council) is the directly elected parliament of each of the twelve Dutch provinces. Voters choose its members every four years, and the council makes provincial rules, adopts the provincial budget and monitors the work of the executive, the Gedeputeerde Staten. The members of the Provinciale Staten also elect the senators of the Eerste Kamer, the upper house of the national parliament.

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