Artikel 54: Election to the House of Representatives; exclusion from voting rights
- The members of the Lower House shall be elected directly by Dutch nationals who have attained the age of eighteen, with the exception of any Dutch nationals who may be excluded by Act of Parliament by virtue of the fact that they are not resident in the Netherlands.
- Anyone who has committed an offence designated by Act of Parliament and has been sentenced as a result by a final and conclusive judgment of a court of law to a custodial sentence of not less than one year and simultaneously disqualified from voting shall not be entitled to vote.
Explanation
Please note: Only the Dutch-language version of the Constitution has legal effect.
Dutch citizens aged 18 or older elect the members of the House of Representatives. Dutch citizens who do not reside in the Netherlands also have the right to vote in principle, although the legislature can make exceptions to this.
Only in exceptional circumstances can a judge deprive someone of this fundamental democratic right. If a judge sentences someone to a prison term of at least one year, he may revoke the right to vote as an additional penalty. The judge may only do this for certain crimes designated by law (such as an attack against the King or an action aimed at overthrowing the form of government).