Voters in at least 11 local authority areas will be faced with a smaller ballot paper in next year’s local elections, as the trial of the new voting format is expanded.

Five municipalities tested the smaller ballot during the general election in October and their number is now to be increased to include Den Bosch, Leiden and Gouda among others.

The new system is based on first selecting a party and then selecting a candidate on a separate grid.

Supporters of the smaller ballot say it is quicker and easier to handle and could speed up vote counting in future. However, in tests so far there has been a slightly higher proportion of invalid votes.

The home affairs ministry has said that the aim of the testing helps identify limitations and improve the system before any wider rollout.

The local elections take place on March 18 next year and EU residents, plus people who have lived in the Netherlands for at least five years, will be able to vote.