- Title: Netherlands offers hassle-free voting in drive-through polling station
- Date: 15th March 2017
- Summary: ZEVENHUIZEN, NETHERLANDS (MARCH 15, 2017) (REUTERS) CAR DRIVING INTO POLLING STATION, SIGN ON SIDE OF RAILING READING (Dutch) DRIVE-IN POLLING STATION CARS DRIVING IN TO POLLING STATION AND STOPPING IN FRONT OF DESK WHERE POLLING OFFICIALS ARE SEATED WOMAN GETTING OUT OF CAR AND HANDING DOCUMENTS TO POLLING OFFICIALS POLLING OFFICIAL LOOKING AT DOCUMENT VOTER BEING HANDED BALLOT AND HEADING TO VOTING BOOTH VOTER FILLING IN BALLOT POLLING OFFICIALS SITTING AT TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLLING STATION CHAIRMAN, RON VAN ES, SAYING: "Some people have come to vote here and because it is quite new they come here to try out if it's a great way to bring out the vote. And at this point everyone likes it, yeah." DUTCH VOTER ELINA TWEGT CASTING HER BALLOT AND THEN ENTERING HER CAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH VOTER, ELINA TWEGT, SAYING: "I think it (immigration) is a problem but I don't think the solution is what Wilders think it is, but yes, it's a very big problem and countries will have to work together to solve that, so I don't think it's the Netherlands that can solve it on its own." VOTER CASTING HIS BALLOT AND WALKING TO HIS CAR CAR PULLING IN NEXT TO VOTING TABLE VOTER COMING OUT OF CAR AND HANDING DOCUMENTS TO POLLING OFFICIALS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH VOTER, PATRICK DE GROOT, SAYING: "I would like to see people being considered more and being heard." WOMAN GETTING OUT OF CAR INSIDE DRIVE-IN POLLING STATION, AND SHOWING HER DOCUMENTS MAN RETURNING FROM VOTING BOOTH HOLDING BALLOT BALLOT BEING CAST, VOTER WALKING BACK TO HIS CAR CAR PULLING OUT AND POLLING OFFICIALS SITTING A TABLE
- Embargoed: 29th March 2017 16:07
- Keywords: polls Dutch voters Wilders Rutte immigration car drive
- Location: ZEVENHUIZEN, NETHERLANDS
- City: ZEVENHUIZEN, NETHERLANDS
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001682NO7B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Tucked away in a business park just outside Zevenhuizen, 25 kilometres (16 miles) east of the Dutch capital The Hague, voters are trying out the drive-in polling station, a new system of casting ballots.
Avoiding the queues of traditional polling stations, citizens can pull up in their car, register with polling officials and drop their ballots into the large wheely bins used as ballot boxes.
The chairman of the drive-through voting centre in Zevenhuizen said this new alternative is designed to encourage people to go the polls.
The Dutch are testing their own tolerance for immigration and Islam in an election magnified by a furious row with Turkey, the first of three polls in the European Union this year where nationalist parties are seeking breakthroughs.
As many as 13 million voters began casting ballots at polling stations across the country that will close at 2000 GMT.
Voter turnout on Wednesday (March 15) was far higher than five years ago according to pollster Ipsos, which is conducting an exit poll. At 1245 GMT, when polls had been open for just over six hours, turnout was estimated at 33 percent, compared to 27 percent at the last election in 2012, when final turnout was 74.6 percent. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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