SVT’s review of the vote count in the last EU election reveals gaps in the system.
In almost half of the districts reviewed, the figures do not add up. The most common deviation is more votes than ballot envelopes. The errors have not affected the election results, but still worry researchers.
EU elections 2024
SVT reveals: Serious errors in the vote count at the EU election
Knutson on SD: “There are a number of different explanations for why things went badly”
– As Minister for Democracy, I take the results of the review seriously and follow developments closely. Of course, it is also important to investigate whether this is a recurring problem that requires a more thorough investigation, says Minister for Democracy Parisa Liljestrand.
“All errors are serious”
In Aktuellt, Anna Nyqvist, head of office at the Swedish Electoral Authority, gave her view on SVT’s disclosure:
– All errors in the electoral system are serious because they can damage trust. But we do not believe that it could have influenced the election results.
Proposing new system
The authority wants routines and training for vote receivers to be reviewed.
– It is the first and only day at work for many voice receivers. It is a challenging system, with many manual steps. But you can also consider machine counting in the evening, says Anna Nyqvist.
She says that the Electoral Authority will now work to improve the system.
– The electoral authority has proposed a new ballot system. Where the voter gets a ballot paper in hand and no envelopes, and the ballot paper gets a stamp on it when you have voted. Then most of the errors I heard about here would not occur.
See the entire interview with the Swedish Electoral Agency’s Anna Nyqvist in SVT’s Aktuellt.