ROTTERDAM, 25 February 2026 – Young Voice, a swipe-based voting tool for young people, is launching for Rotterdam at 10:00 today. It is built to help first-time voters compare their views with local party positions ahead of the municipal elections (gemeenteraadsverkiezingen) on 18 March.
If you have ever wished election information felt less like homework and more like something you would actually finish, this is the pitch: you swipe through local issues, watch short explainer videos, and see which parties match your answers most closely.
A swipe format built around local issues
Young Voice is a voting aid (stemhulp) from ProDemos, designed specifically for young people, and used for the first time for the municipal elections. It lets you compare your positions with those of local political parties using Rotterdam-relevant themes. You start by choosing what you care about, such as housing, going out, safety, work, and sustainability. Based on that selection, you get around 20 to 30 statements, each with a short explanation plus arguments for and against.
What the results mean
The final result shows which parties overlap most with your answers in terms of content. Young Voice is positioned as a tool to make differences between parties clearer, rather than telling you what to vote. Some statements appear in multiple participating municipalities, including whether the municipality should cut youth work, whether more MBO students should be able to intern at the municipality, and whether cafés and restaurants should be able to set their own opening hours.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Videos with familiar faces
To keep the pace up, Young Voice includes short explainer videos, voiced by presenters and influencers. Names listed include Nordin Blessing, Tirsa With, Rein van Duivenboden, Joshua Alagbe and Jesse Miltenburg. The tool is aimed squarely at first-time voters, with the idea that clearer information and a more accessible format can help young people feel more confident about voting, especially in local elections where turnout tends to lag.
Who made Young Voice
Young Voice was developed by ProDemos, in collaboration with the National Youth Council (Nationale Jeugdraad, NJR). The makers say it is based on research among young people, local election programmes, and checked party positions. Rotterdam is one of twelve municipalities where the tool is available, alongside places including Amsterdam, The Hague, Tilburg and Vlaardingen.
Where to use it
Young Voice is available via: https://youngvoice.nl
If you are voting in Rotterdam on 18 March, it is one more practical way to get a quick sense of where parties stand on the issues you actually talk about with friends.
