Summary
In Sweden there are three elections (parliamentary, county council, and municipal) on the same day. The votes are counted, by party only, in the polling stations immediately after the closing of the poll.
Interim results are reported by telephone from the polling station to the local election committees who report to the regional office of the Regional Tax Board. From the Regional Tax Board, a computer transmits the parliamentary results to the National Tax Board, where a preliminary distribution of seats in parliament is carried out, and the interim results are published.
The ballots and reports are delivered to the Regional State Administration where a recount is carried out. Based on the recount, the final distribution of seats for the municipal and county levels is made, and the final results published by the State County Administration. The distribution of seats for parliament is made by the National Tax Board and the final results officially published, based on reports from the State County Administration.
Electoral System
Sweden has a proportional list system, with a possibility for preferential vote for one candidate on the list.
There is a separate list for each alternative (the party can have more than one list in each electoral district).
The voter inserts the ballot, with or without preferential mark, in an envelope, using a separate ballot for each election. The ballots have different colours for each election, and separate ballot boxes are used.
There are around six thousand polling stations in Sweden, with a separate voters' register for each polling station.
Normally, voters choose to vote at the polling station where they are registered. However, absentee voting is permitted at post offices up to eighteen days before Election Day, and during a more limited period at Swedish missions abroad. About thirty-five per cent of the electorate votes using the absentee ballot.
The voter can vote either in person or by proxy. Limited mail-in voting is allowed in special cases. Most of the absentee votes are sent to the polling station where the voters are registered and counted. However, a small proportion of "late" absentee votes, and mail-in votes are counted by the local election committees.
Vote Counting in Voting Stations
Immediately after the closing of the polls, the votes are counted in the voting stations in this order:
First, the absentee votes are put in the ballot boxes.
The number of voters who have cast their votes according to the voter register is determined. The envelopes in the ballot box are counted and compared with the numbers according to the voters' register.
If there is a discrepancy, a recount is carried out. If there still is a discrepancy, this is written in the polling station report and the count continues. The envelopes are opened, and the ballots are sorted according to party. Spoiled ballots are set aside and counted.
A ballot is spoiled if:
The ballots are then counted per party and the numbers are written in the polling station report. The ballots are put in special plastic envelopes. A separate envelope is used for each party, and for spoiled ballots, and the envelopes are sealed. The ballots, voters' register, and reports are delivered to the local election committee, and from there, to the state county administration for the recount.
Reporting of Interim Results
As soon as the parliamentary election is counted in the polling station, the results are reported by telephone to the Regional Tax Authority. The parliamentary results are forwarded to the National Tax Board where a preliminary distribution of seats is carried out and published.
The results from the municipal and county council elections are reported in the same way, but the procedures end at the Regional Tax Authority, where preliminary distributions of seats are carried out and published.
Predictions of the parliamentary results are made by the media based on sample results delivered by the National Tax Board. The media bear the responsibility for these predictions. However, the accuracy of the predictions has improved, and normally the predictions are very close to the actual result.
Counting of Absentee Votes and Mail-in Votes
The local election committees are responsible for "late" absentee votes (that have not been sent to the polling stations), and mail-in votes. This count takes place three days after Election Day, and by and large, the same rules apply as in counting at the polling stations.
The election materials are delivered to the State County Administration for a recount immediately after the count is finished.
Final Count at the State County Administration
At the final count, all ballots are examined and decided on once again. The ballots are counted, not only by party, but each list within the party, and preferential votes for candidates. The numbers are entered into computers, the results are calculated, and seats distributed among parties and candidates. These operations start the day after the election.
The final parliamentary results are published after a little more than a week later. The final county council and municipal council results are published approximately three weeks after the election. All ballots, reports, and voters' registers are kept in case of complaints.
