Nomination Day

On February 2, 2026, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., political groups will submit their candidate lists to the Central Electoral Office of the municipality of Kerkrade. This must be done in person at the City Office, Markt in Kerkrade. Digital or postal submissions are not possible! 

We kindly request that you inform the Elections Office in a timely manner that you wish to submit a list of candidates. You can do this by sending an email to verkiezingen@kerkrade.nl.

Please note! If a party submits a list of candidates later than 5 p.m. on February 2, 2025, the party will not be able to participate in the municipal elections. The party will then receive a written rejection. The rejection can be appealed directly to the Administrative Law Division of the Council of State in The Hague.

The municipality is organizing a non-binding trial delivery on Monday, January 26, 2026. The incumbent political parties have already been invited by letter. This is by appointment only: any new parties can register via the email address verkiezingen@kerkrade.nl.

During this trial delivery, we will review the list of candidates and the requested attachments with you. You will receive all documents back, possibly with suggestions for improvement.

You must keep the documentation yourself—and supplement it if necessary—so that the list of candidates and attachments can be formally submitted in person by a voter between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on February 2, 2026. This means that you cannot leave the file with the municipality after the trial submission.
 

For the nomination, parties pay a deposit of €225.00 (per candidate list) before January 19, 2026. 

The deposit does not apply to existing parties currently represented in the Kerkrade municipal council. It does apply to new parties that are already registered nationally or provincially and are not yet represented in the municipal council.

You can transfer the amount of €225.00 to account number NL49BNGH0285004484 of the municipality of Kerkrade, stating 'candidacy deposit + name of party'. 

This deposit will be refunded in the following cases:

• If no valid list is submitted, the deposit will be returned to the person who made the payment after the municipality has determined the election results.
• If a valid list is submitted, the deposit will be refunded after the results have been determined, unless the list's vote share is less than 75 percent of the electoral quotient (Article P 5 of the Elections Act) and no seat has been allocated to the list.
• In all other cases, the deposit will be forfeited to the municipality.
   

Parties must submit at least 20 valid statements of support.
A statement of support is a written declaration by a person eligible to vote who supports a party's participation in the election. 

For the declarations of support, the party uses the prescribed form model H 4 (declaration of support), on which all candidates are listed in the correct order. 

Please note! If the party subsequently changes the order of candidates, all previously completed declarations of support must be resubmitted! 

The eligible voter receives form model H 4 (declaration of support) from the party, listing the candidates, and takes it to the Civil Affairs desk at the town hall. There, he shows his valid ID to the civil servant and then signs the declaration in the presence of the civil servant.

Who does not need to submit statements of support?

• Parties that were allocated seats during the last municipal elections in Kerkrade in 2022.
• Parties that merge designations and seats are allocated to one or both parties.
• Parties merge into a new grouping and seats are allocated to all parties.
   

When submitting a list of candidates, various documents must be submitted in addition to the list of candidates (Model H1). The following is required:

1. Candidate list (model H 1), listing all candidates in the correct order and with the correct details. You can create this using the OSV software (see below under OSV).
2. Declaration of consent (model H 9). Each candidate on the list must submit a declaration of consent to their candidacy. See Electoral Act, Article H 9. Candidates who live outside the European part of the Netherlands must designate an authorized representative within the European part of the Netherlands on the declaration of consent.
3. Copy of identification document for all candidates. A copy of a valid identification document must be submitted for each candidate. A valid identification document is defined as: a valid passport, valid driver's license, or valid identity card (a document as referred to in Article 1 of the Compulsory Identification Act). Please note: with the new model passport, driver's license, and identity card, the BSN or social security number is printed on the back, so the back of the identity document must also be copied. It is not permitted to cover or cross out any information on the copy.
4. Declarations of intended residence. Candidates on the list who do not live in the municipality of Kerkrade and are not registered there must submit a declaration stating that they intend to take up residence in the municipality in question if appointed. See Electoral Act, Article H 7.
5. Authorization to place a designation above the list (Model H 3-1). In order to place a registered designation of the party above the list of candidates, a statement from the party's (deputy) representative must be submitted with the list, authorizing the person submitting the list to do so. If necessary, you should request this in good time from the national headquarters of your own party. See Electoral Act, Article H3.
6. Declarations of support (model H 4). All parties must submit at least 20 valid declarations of support for the nomination.
7. Proof of payment of deposit €225.00. All parties must pay a deposit for the nomination.
8. Combining designations (model H 3-2). If two or more parties submit a single list, they may choose to combine their designations or abbreviations above the list, provided that these have been registered in good time. In that case, the list must be accompanied by statements from the (deputy) representatives of the political parties concerned, authorizing the person submitting the list to do so. See Electoral Act, Article H 5. 
    

Parties submitting a list of candidates must comply with all the requirements of Chapter H of the Elections Act and Chapter H of the Elections Decree. The Central Electoral Committee will investigate this. The paper file submitted will be decisive in this regard, rather than any supporting digital files from the OSV software or other applications.

On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, the Central Electoral Committee will examine and provisionally assess all submitted candidate lists and appendices in a closed session (without an audience). If one or more documents are not in order or are missing, the Central Electoral Committee will inform the submitter of the party concerned as soon as possible. The party will then have the opportunity to rectify the deficiencies and submit new documents on Wednesday, February 4, or Thursday, February 5, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

On Friday, February 6, at 5 p.m., the Central Electoral Committee will make a final decision on the validity of the candidates and candidate lists in a public session (with an audience).