{"id":7324,"date":"2026-05-11T15:23:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T12:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apeldoorn.nl\/bestuur-organisatie\/college-van-b-en-w\/collegeleden\/burgemeester-ton-heerts\/columns\/de-nul-stem\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:31:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:31:04","slug":"de-nul-stem","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.apeldoorn.nl\/en\/college-van-b-en-w\/collegeleden\/burgemeester-ton-heerts\/columns\/de-nul-stem\/","title":{"rendered":"The Zero Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you ever heard of a \u2018zero vote\u2019?<\/p>\n

No, it\u2019s got nothing to do with elections, which might well be the obvious conclusion in an article by a local councillor. I only learnt what a \u2018zero vote\u2019 is last Thursday. And I\u2019ll never forget it.<\/p>\n

Last Thursday morning, I was a guest at OBS Berg en Bos to read aloud to the nursery children. I always enjoy it to the full. The spontaneous reactions, the unfiltered enthusiasm, the total immersion in a story: I find it so lovely. I always leave feeling absolutely delighted.<\/p>\n

The children were well prepared for the mayor\u2019s visit. They already knew that my main job is to welcome Sinterklaas. And that\u2019s exactly right.<\/p>\n

The children had also come up with some questions for me. These ranged from \u201cWhat\u2019s your favourite food?\u201d (stamppot in winter and Italian food in summer) to \u201dWhich sport do you like best?\u201d (football). And yes, this was often accompanied by that wonderful nursery-school enthusiasm, complete with the accompanying decibels.<\/p>\n

And then the teacher said: \u2018Dear children, let\u2019s do the \u2019zero\u2019 voice again.\u2019<\/p>\n

And it was quiet. The volume was set to zero.<\/p>\n

Brilliant. Can we roll this out everywhere? And preferably on social media?<\/p>\n

Amidst a flurry of loud opinions, just a short message: \u201cRight. And now back to the zero vote.\u201d And that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

And sometimes you need to say it to yourself, too. If you\u2019re worrying about something you can\u2019t do anything about, but which is still getting you worked up: \u201cJust give it a \u201dzero\u2019 vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thank you so much, pupils and teachers at OBS Berg en Bos. I\u2019m all set for a while now.<\/p>\n

Ton Heerts<\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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\r\nTon Heerts. Photo: Robin Fotografie\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\n\n
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Be sure to read the other columns too<\/h2>\r\n

Mayor Ton Heerts writes a regular column. Why not have a read?<\/p>\n

Columns by the mayor<\/a><\/p>\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":5278,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"bestuur-standaard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","ep_exclude_from_search":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"folder":[],"class_list":["post-7324","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nColumn De Nul Stem | Gemeente Apeldoorn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lees de column 'De Nul Stem' van burgemeester Ton Heerts van Apeldoorn. 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