Who can vote?
All Belgians who are eighteen years or older on October 13 are allowed to vote during the local elections. Unlike the June 9 elections, in which young people aged 16 and over were allowed to vote in the European elections, minors are not allowed to participate this time.
Anyone who does not have Belgian nationality may not vote for the provincial council. This is possible for the municipal council and the city district council in Antwerp, but then you must register.
Should I vote on October 13?
No, you can also stay at home on October 13. Compulsory attendance was abolished for local elections in 2020. In Flanders you therefore received an invitation letter and no longer a convocation letter.
So you should not vote at all, but you can also choose, for example, to only cast a vote for the municipal elections and not for the province. Or vice versa.
In Brussels and Wallonia, there is still compulsory attendance for local elections. They will therefore receive a summons letter and will have to go to the polling station on October 13.
What can I vote for?
In most of Flanders you can vote for two elections on October 13: the municipal and provincial council elections. In Brussels you will only be able to vote in the municipal elections.
In the city of Antwerp you will receive three ballot papers. In addition to the municipal and provincial council elections, you will also be able to vote for the district council. Antwerp is divided into nine districts, each of which has a district council. They are responsible for sports, culture, youth and senior policy, among other things, and are responsible for festivities and some street and green works. The members of that district council will also be elected on October 13.
If you live in one of the six Flemish facilities municipalities around Brussels or in Voeren, you will also be able to elect aldermen, OCMW councilors and members of the permanent office on October 13.
(Read more under the electoral lists)
Where should you vote?
The invitation letter that you normally receive in your mailbox states which polling station you are expected to attend. You cannot vote in another municipality or polling station on election day.
What if I have lost my invitation letter or did not receive it on time?
Then you can still cast a vote. Voters can collect a duplicate of their invitation letter from the municipal secretariat of their municipality until the day of the vote at 12 noon.
In some municipalities, voters will also receive a digital invitation letter. Anyone who has not received or has lost their original invitation letter can print that digital invitation letter and bring it with them to the polling station.
You can also show the digital invitation letter to the members of the polling station on the screen of a smartphone. You will not receive a stamp to show that you have voted, but the polling station will indicate on the checklist that you have voted.
What if I have recently moved?
You will have to cast your vote in the municipality where you were domiciled on August 1, 2024. The polling station is stated on your notice of attendance. In some cases you can request a refund of your travel costs. On election day you can also get a free train ticket. You can find more information about this here.
When do the polling stations open?
The polling stations open on Sunday, October 13 at 8:00 am. When they close depends on how the vote is in your municipality. The polling stations where paper voting takes place close at 1 p.m. Where there is digital voting, you can vote until 3 p.m. The opening hours of your polling station are also stated on your invitation letter. Your invitation letter also states a time at which you can avoid long queues.
Should I vote on paper or electronically?
That depends on the municipality where you have to cast your vote. On October 13, digital voting will take place in 159 municipalities. In the remaining 141 they vote on paper. In Wallonia, voting is only done on paper. The 19 Brussels municipalities vote electronically, just like the 9 German-speaking ones. (Continue reading below the map)
What should I take with me to the polling station?
You only need two things: your invitation letter and your identity card. You hand them in when you enter the polling station and you get them back when you have cast your vote.
Can I help someone vote?
Voters must only cast their vote at the polling booth. In principle, you are not even allowed to take a baby or child into the voting booth. But there may be situations where voters need help casting their votes. For example in the case of a disability. The chairman of the polling station can give permission to allow an accompanying person of his or her choice to enter the voting booth. That cannot be anyone from the polling station.
What if I made a mistake on my voting form?
If you vote electronically and have selected the wrong candidate, you can adjust your vote yourself. If you have already confirmed that incorrect choice, you can request a new electronic card from the chairman of the polling station.
If you make a mistake on paper, you can ask the chairman of the polling station for a new ballot. The incorrect ballot paper is then torn up.
How were the votes distributed in my municipality last time?
The previous municipal elections date from six years ago. The results from that time can be found below.
Where and when can I see the results?
The first results will most likely come from smaller municipalities where only a few lists appear. These could be known as early as around 2 or 3 p.m. But even in larger cities where electronic voting takes place, things can move quickly after the polling stations close. A definitive story, with coalitions and seat distributions, will probably only be available later in the evening. In some cases this can even take until the next day.
You can follow everything closely in the GVA app or on gva.be. You can read all about it via the link below.
READ ALSO. This is how you follow the elections at Gazet van Antwerpen: here you will find live updates, analyzes and results from your municipality
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