ROTTERDAM, 3 February 2026 – Rotterdam has confirmed the final candidate list for the district and village council elections (wijk- en dorpsraadverkiezingen). In total, 829 people will appear on the ballot papers, which is more than 200 more than four years ago.
The Central Electoral Committee (Centraal Stembureau) finalised the list during its session on 30 January, and also set the order of the candidate lists through a draw held the same day.
More candidates on the ballot
The city says 910 people initially registered as candidates. After the registration process concluded, 829 candidates remained on the final list. Rotterdam links the difference to practical reasons: some people registered but later chose not to complete the process, some names appeared twice in the applications, and some candidates did not meet all requirements.
Appeals and corrections after the decision
Nine candidates filed an appeal against the Central Electoral Committee’s decision. Seven appeals were upheld, leading to a set of adjustments. These included adding a first name that had not been submitted earlier for two candidates, correcting three administrative errors, and removing two candidates who withdrew at their own request. Two appeals were rejected because the candidates’ identity could not be established. According to the decision, this was because the candidates did not confirm their identity in person.
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Lists across 39 Rotterdam areas
After the 30 January session, Rotterdam has 720 candidate lists for the district and village council elections (wijk- en dorpsraadverkiezingen). A district or village council (wijk- of dorpsraad) can be formed in all 39 Rotterdam districts. Among the candidates are 45 young people aged 16 to 18.
Support for candidate campaign materials
Candidates can have a professional campaign photo taken from 2 February to 18 February.
From 6 February to 6 March, candidates can also have their own flyers and posters produced. The flyers will be delivered by post, while the posters will be supplied digitally. The city says all candidates will receive further information about how this works.
Campaign visibility in the city
Rotterdam says the campaign is already underway. Since 19 January, billboards have been showing the slogan “Jouw Rotterdam, Jouw Stem”, and the city is also organising practice voting moments (proefstemmen) in multiple areas.
These practice voting moments are being held in neighbourhood hubs (wijkhubs), as well as at markets and public squares, with the goal of flagging that the elections are coming up and making the voting process clearer.
