Waterboard elections in the Netherlands: IHE Delft students value chance to vote
In the Netherlands, water is managed by 21 democratically elected waterboards, who manage key infrastructure: polders, dikes, and other waterworks. All registered residents have the right to vote in the waterboard elections, including IHE Delft MSc students.
For MSc students, many of whom are in the Netherlands for just one year, casting a ballot in the local Delft waterboard elections, held in March 2023, felt important, but also special – few countries hold waterboard elections. In addition, the Dutch waterboard elections are held every four years, so not every batch can vote.
“I was very surprised by the fact that in the Netherlands there are elections for water, and it is handled by an independent body,” said MSc student Kyaw Zin Htoon from Myanmar. He noted that he has only been able to take part in a single election in his home country, and welcomed the opportunity to take part in a Dutch election process.
“I was very pleased to see how they include also foreign students in these elections. This truly gives the feeling of water belonging to everyone, not just the Dutch”
“I chose to take part in this electoral experience because I had the chance to raise my voice, and this is very important for me because the people of Myanmar, including myself, lost the right to choose our own government democratically. Since I am abroad at the moment, casting my vote is still a universal symbol of social and political involvement for future decisions. The right to vote is a very precious thing, and everyone should vote.”
Delmo Roncarati Vilela, an MSc student from Brazil, noted that his country has a different approach to water management: “In Brazil we have waterboards, but nobody elects the water board members. I think we should. We have a lot of rivers and it would be beneficial to implement such governmental bodies to protect these rivers. Maybe this would bring more awareness to the people about matters on water.”
“As a political scientist, I am very aware that this is one of the only ways, and probably the easiest way, to express your opinion in a country and shape local policy”
To help students prepare for the elections, Piet-Hein Daverveldt, Chair of the Delfland Waterboard, visited IHE Delft and explained the roles and responsibilities of the water authorities, whose work is financed by taxes. He outlined challenges, including due to the effects of climate change that face waterboards in the Netherlands and recommended an online tool that helps prospective voters pick a party. Roncarati Vilela used the tool to learn which party aligns best with his views.
“I mostly tried to answer (the tool’s questions) while keeping in mind that we will need more and more water in the future. We need to distribute that water better,” he said.
The results of the Delfland Waterboard elections are available here (in Dutch only).
Lunch seminar recordings
After an introduction by IHE Delft Rector Eddy Moors, Mr. Piet-Hein Daverveldt, Head of the Delfland waterboard, explained what the current water challenges in the Delft/The Hague region are. Jaap Evers, IHE Delft Senior Lecturer in Water and Environmental Policy, shared how the waterboard elections are organized and on what parties you can cast your vote.
Available in Dutch
This article is now available in Dutch on the website of WaterForum