The Flemish government has decided to prioritise the use of new voting machines in those Flemish municipalities that were already voting electronically in 2024. This means that nearly half of the 285 Flemish municipalities will still be voting with pen and paper in 2029.
“As a precaution, the paper has been ordered and we are working on the pencils,” said Minister for Home Affairs Bernard Quintin (MR) as recently as early February. The federal government, together with the regions, is racing against the clock to set up a new electronic voting system by 2029. The current voting machines are due for replacement and the contract with the supplier expires in January 2027.
An inter-federal working group has been negotiating the new public contract for the roll-out of new voting machines over the past few weeks. The Flemish government has just approved the tender specifications, allowing the tender process to go ahead. This must happen in all regions, reports the newspaper De Standaard. “A new joint agreement between the federal government and the federated entities on the ordering of the new voting machines and their financing is urgently needed,” says Flemish Minister for Home Affairs Hilde Crevits.
