Election season is coming again. The first on March 20 will be the Provincial Council elections and the Water board elections On schedule. Unfortunately, turnout for these elections has been declining for years and is usually lower than that for the municipal council and let alone the House of Representatives. This suggests that the average Dutch person underestimates the importance of this.
The run-up to these elections shows a number of interesting developments. For example, the Water Boards are currently receiving more attention than the Provincial Council elections.
Yes, national politicians, and especially the party leaders, are campaigning in the media with a view to the latter elections and will tell their story during the major debates. Unfortunately, this is where local initiatives and ambitions often lose out.
The debates on RTL and NOS will most likely give a distorted picture of what exactly these politicians can do for citizens at a local level over the next four years. It is precisely this focus on national politics and on the majority in the Senate for the coalition parties that detracts from the importance of the Provincial Council election. It is precisely the considerations within the Province regarding infrastructure, public transport, culture, nature and environment, etc. that can have a major impact on the daily lives of citizens. And even if the elections for the current coalition are disappointing and a minority arises for them in the Senate, the country will not suddenly become ungovernable.
The Water Boards have more to offer because of their broader and more serious view of climate changes and their recent local consequences hearts and minds won in recent years. Last summer's drought and the floods in recent years in some parts of the Netherlands have made people aware of the tangible consequences of climate change and the necessary water management that we in the Netherlands must take into account. The campaign for these water board elections focuses strongly on raising awareness of what the responsibilities of the water boards are and what impact they have on the daily lives of residents. This means that for many people it is no longer far from their bedside show. Because the survival of the Water Board elections was still uncertain ten years ago, many people are now more aware of the impact of the Water Boards and their campaign this year is more successful in emphasizing their importance than that for the Provincial Council elections.
