Internationals are allowed to vote, but how do you get them involved?

Three quarters of foreign students are unaware that they are eligible to vote in the local elections on 18 March. Their vote could make a difference.

‘Five days ago, my housemate told me about the elections. Before that, I didn’t know anything about them’, says Sebastian Lazar (22). The Creative Media and Game Technologies student has been living in the Netherlands for four years now. Until recently he thought that foreign students were not allowed to vote at all. ‘Until I googled it and found out that we are allowed to vote. Unfortunately, most of the information is in Dutch, and I often miss the context of statements or themes.’ That’s why Sebastian has been calling a Dutch acquaintance a lot these past few weeks for extra explanation. ‘It’s actually quite strange, because if you don’t know someone like that, it’s almost impossible to figure it out. Internationals don’t have enough information to make a good choice, even though it’s about our city too.’

Norwegians, Swiss, Icelanders and Liechtensteiners are also allowed to vote in Groningen

On 18 March, Groningen will elect a new municipal council. An estimated 75 per cent of internationals are unaware that they too have the right to vote. In the Netherlands, students are eligible to vote if they are over 18 and come from an EU country or from Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland. Students from other countries are also eligible to vote if they have been living in the Netherlands for more than five years.

Meeting these requirements does not automatically mean that you can vote. You must also be registered in the municipality on 31 January. In 2022, U-krant reported on the low percentage of internationals who were unaware of their right to vote. Four years later, little has changed. How is this possible?

‘Groningen assumes that international students will leave after a few years, well, if that is your premise…’

‘Dutch students are already disadvantaged by the municipality, and that applies even more to international students, who are hardly noticed’, says Ivar Kuper (24). Ivar, number 3 on the list of the Student & Stad party, believes that the image of students is biased. ‘The perpetual student is often portrayed. Someone who only drinks and does nothing for their studies. That is obviously not true, but if you don’t talk to students very often, such ideas can arise.’

According to Ivar, the low awareness of the elections is partly due to the length of stay of international students. ‘The municipality assumes that international students will leave after three or four years. Well, if that is your premise, it is not obvious to provide them with extensive information.’ And the municipality has another, more important problem, Ivar says. ‘Voter turnout among Dutch citizens is also low. That’s what they’re focusing on.’ But, says Ivar, international students have the right to vote for a reason. ‘International students are part of Groningen’s culture. Students, including students from abroad, help determine what the city looks like, and they can make a difference in politics.’

‘We do pay attention to this target group, not only around election time, but the whole year through’

According to Peter Steinfort, spokesperson for the municipality of Groningen, the situation is more nuanced. ‘We do pay structural attention to this target group. Not only around election time, but the whole year through.’ Steinfort points out that internationals who stay in Groningen for longer than four months must register with the municipality within five days. ‘Prior to the elections those who are registered will receive a voting pass and an information leaflet in Dutch and English with text and explanations.’

Ivar is familiar with this procedure and sees it as the problem. ‘International students have to deal with a lot of red tape, and the municipality fails to provide guidance in this area.’

‘Due to the lack of good information, I search online myself’

Student en Stad also criticises the way in which the municipality informs international students. Ivar: ‘The topics of subsidies, regulations and things they are entitled to are discussed, but there is no clear explanation.’ Sebastian recognises this. ‘Due to the lack of good information, I search online myself, but which websites are reliable and which information is correct? That’s difficult.’

Spokesperson Steinfort points to other ways in which the municipality is drawing attention to the elections. ‘The English-language Stemwijzer has been online since 18 February. In addition, digital screens with banners are being placed throughout the city, calling on internationals to vote. We are also working with educational institutions on these campaigns.’

‘Almost no party has international students on their list’

Sebastian believes you have to start at the grassroots level. ‘In secondary school, you learn about what politics does and how you can influence it. It would be good to give such lessons to internationals as well, so that we can better understand how things work in the Netherlands.’ Ivar sees more opportunities in collaboration with Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the University of Groningen and vocational colleges. ‘They communicate most with this group, and the municipality has a good overview of who is new in Groningen.’ He believes that it should not stop at campaigns. ‘In addition, the municipality could set up a think tank for internationals that contributes ideas and advice.’

The ball is not only in the municipality’s court; politics also has a role to play. ‘Almost no party has internationals on their list’, says Ivar. ‘We have recruited six internationals who share their knowledge and experiences.’ According to him, it is not enough to talk to these students once in a while. ‘We involve international students in the political group. Otherwise, you mainly hear about what is not going well and you don’t get any input on issues that are important to them.’

According to Sebastian, if you want to get international students excited, it’s best to start small

However, the international students of Student en Stad are not in an electable position. ‘They are last candidates. It is often uncertain whether they will stay in Groningen for a longer period of time. In addition, we are faced with the fact that the council meetings and documents are all in Dutch.’

Student en Stad is at the forefront in terms of foreign input. But it could have been better, Ivar admits. ‘We could have approached even more active internationals and sought further cooperation with student associations.’ The problem: ‘Associations want to remain neutral and not commit to a party.’

According to Sebastian, if you want to get internationals excited, it’s best to start small. ‘Hold a meet-and-greet on Grote Markt, an election market with stalls where you can talk to political parties.’ Will this be enough to reach 15,000 international students who are eligible to vote? Ivar remains optimistic: ‘For me, it will be a success if international students have the same voting average as the rest of Groningen, preferably even more.’