Fact: This is how you vote in a polling station
1. Take ballot envelopes and ballots. The ballot papers are displayed in a screened-off place in the premises.
2. Prepare the vote behind a voting screen. You can vote for party and person. If you only want to vote for one party, you can vote with a ballot where both party name and candidate name are printed (name ballot). You do not need to tick a candidate if you just want to vote for the party. You can also write the name of the party on a blank ballot paper.
If you want a particular candidate on the party’s ballot to be elected, you can vote in person for that candidate.
3. Then leave the vote to the vote recipients.
At the voice receiver, you must show that you are you in one of the following ways:
Show an ID document, you are known by the recipient of the vote, someone else certifies your identity. That person must be at least 18 years old and show ID.
The polling stations tick you off the voter’s register and at the same time place the ballot envelope or envelopes in the ballot boxes.
Source: The Electoral Authority
– You should preferably not fold ballot papers and you must not fold the envelope. My tip is to read a little about the election procedure itself before you get to the polling station. Then it goes more smoothly and you know that the vote will be counted, says Michael Franzl, who is first vice chairman in the electoral district in Farsta in southern Stockholm.
“Important democracy job”
He says that he worked as a vote receiver at three previous Swedish elections and one European Parliament election. And he thinks it’s an important job.
— I work as a social studies teacher and feel a responsibility. This is simply an important democratic job, says Michael Franzl.
Today’s work will first consist of receiving votes until 8 pm this evening and then counting said votes. But he and the five colleagues will not have to work for a stretch.
— Everyone gets an hour’s break around lunch. Then everyone gets a break of around two hours in the afternoon so that you can cope with the evening, says Michael Franzl.
Small district
He works in a relatively small district of 904 eligible voters, and he estimates that the count will be finished sometime around 11 p.m. tonight.
It is always the votes for the Riksdag that are counted first. When it is ready, the results are called in to the electoral committee and then the votes are counted for municipality and region.
— When the count is ready, the chairman and I go in with all the votes to Stockholm City Hall where everything is handed in. Then the county administrative board starts the final count on Monday when, for example, personal votes are also counted, says Michael Franzl.