Voter turnout in the elections for the European Parliament remains low in the Netherlands. By mid-afternoon 16 percent had cast their vote, similar to the turnout level of five years ago. In the 2004 European Parliament elections turnout just failed to reach 40 percent, and pollsters expect a similar showing this year. Turnout in the Dutch general elections of 2006 was 80 percent.

Many people determine their preference at the very latest and often rely on internet-based voter compasses, opinion polls have shown. Even on election day, a popular Dutch voter compass operator says there are some 30,000 visitors per hour to their website.

The final debate between the main contenders was televised on Wednesday night. They focused on the entry of Poles, Bulgarians and Rumanians onto the Dutch labour market and the possible accession of Turkey to the EU.

Polls close at 9 pm local time, closely followed by the first media predictions of the outcome. The United Kingdom is also holding its European Parliament elections today, but results won't be published until Sunday, when voting will have been completed in all 27 EU member states.

Example of a voter compass: EU Profiler