Did you know that the Dutch people use red Bruynzeel pencils to indicate their vote in the Netherlands? These red pencils are often called “voting pencils” and are used because their vibrant colour is hard to erase and makes it easier for the votes to be counted. Ballots that are marked with a different colour are invalid and will not be counted.
Starting in 1966, the ‘old-fashioned’ system of voting ballots and coloured pencils was gradually replaced with an automated system, but when it came to light that these systems were not as reliable and sensitive to hacking, the pencil was brought back in 2009.
The shade of the pencils, called Vermillion (931), is the same shade of red that is used in our national flag! The pencils are sharpened before use and shaped like a hexagon, which makes it less likely to roll away.