Why international citizens should vote for the city council

The city council is the highest governing body within the municipality. It decides on the most important topics in the municipality, such as local taxes and the construction of new houses. Of all political representatives, councillors are perhaps the closest to most citizens, considering they constantly keep in touch with local inhabitants in order to understand what is going on.  

But why are these elections also relevant for international people? The answer might sound (rather) straightforward: municipal policies directly impact the lives of all residents, including internationals. Let’s look at a few examples. .

First of all, Many municipalities experience a shortage of houses, causing a lot of people - in particular students and starters - to struggle to find a home they can afford. As mentioned, it is the council that decides on the construction of homes, and not only where to build them, but also on the renovation and transformation of existing buildings. Moreover, in many municipalities, rents are too high at the moment. The city council can intervene in this regard as well, for instance by introducing policies such as the “zelfbewoningsplicht” (self-occupancy obligation),  which ensures that housing spaces are not left inhabited. Besides that, the council can also introduce a register or mandatory check to keep an eye on the quality of behaviour of the landlords. As befits Volt, we can also get inspired by the best practices from elsewhere in Europe. In Vienna, for example, 60% of the homes are subsidised and hence affordable for people from all walks of life.

Furthermore, the council has a direct impact on sustainable mobility, for instance by setting up more space for bikes, public transportation, and pedestrians by introducing car free zones. The municipality can also foster the development of electric transportation (public charge points, reserved parking plots) and stimulate car-sharing. Such choices lead to a direct improvement of air quality and contribute to the green character of our city. 

Major national, or (sometimes) even international issues can also be tackled on a local level. Think global, act local, as Volt’s motto goes. Issues you could think of in this regard/here are climate change, biodiversity, security, economic development, digitalisation, and the improvement of international train connections. 

Finally, the municipality is in charge of providing information and assistance to new international residents. They can facilitate language courses and provide practical information: where to live, financial matters and services, insurance, etc.   

Volt Netherlands/Nederland already set up various initiatives in order to help internationals to vote and to foster collaboration among European cities:

• Volt Maastricht translated the ‘stempas’ (voting pass).

• Volt Hamburg and Volt Rotterdam want to create the so-called North Range alliance between their international ports to collaborate instead of compete with each other and hence create more local economic opportunities. 

To conclude, citizens who can vote in the upcoming municipal elections are either EU citizens who are registered in the Netherlands from January 31 onwards or non-EU citizens who are living in the Netherlands legally for at least five years. If you belong to one of those categories: make use of your rights, get involved in local politics and have an impact on your living environment by going out and vote!

Cédric is Frans en woont al 5 jaar in Nederland. Hij is kandidaat voor de Franse Parliament verkiezing in juni 2022. Hij stelt zich verkiesbaar om de Fransen woonachtig in Benelux in l'Assemblée Nationale te mogen vertegenwoordigen.

Meer info: https://www.voltfrance.org/elections/legislatives/candidats/cedric-deverchere-et-audrey-ngomsik.