The Netherlands has had electoral districts since 1814. From 1814, the districts matched the provinces and the members of the House of Representatives were elected indirectly via the provincial councils.[1]
After the Constitutional Reform of 1848, members of the House of Representatives were elected directly in a two-round system. 38 electoral districts (Dutch: kiesdistrict) were created, with sometimes multiple members per district who were elected in staggered elections. The number of districts increased over time, with 100 in 1896 when multi-member districts were abolished.[2]
After the Pacification of 1917, party-list proportional representation was introduced in Dutch elections. There are still electoral districts (Dutch: kieskring). Electoral lists are filed per district, which means the list can differ per district and lists might not participate in all districts.[2]