Iceland embraces list letters in 2024 elections with roots in Denmark

In the preparations for the 2024 elections, the tradition of using party identifiers, or list letters, in Iceland has its origins in Denmark. Previously, political parties did not have fixed identifiers, a practice that changed in the 1960s. Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, a history professor at the University of Iceland, highlights that the legislation incorporating list letters was first introduced in 1903 for municipal elections.

The use of these letters became standardized in parliamentary elections starting in 1915, during which candidates were required to campaign on lists. This shift was a departure from the previous system of electing representatives from single or dual-member constituencies. According to the legislation following the constitutional change in 1915, electoral lists were designated with alphabetical identifiers based on their order of submission.

The influence from Denmark is evident; when the list letter provision was enacted in Iceland, the country was still under Danish rule. Denmark had begun using list letters in its parliamentary elections around the turn of the 20th century. The first nationwide elections in Iceland took place in August 1916, featuring six competing lists.

A significant reform to the electoral system occurred in 1934, allowing voters to choose from national lists instead of just local candidates. By then, it was established that national lists would receive letters according to alphabetical order.

In 1959, new comprehensive election laws retained the principle of fixed identifiers but allowed new parties to apply for any available letter not already in use. The Ministry of Justice has managed the allocation of letters for new party lists since 1987, following the approval of requests based on previous election identifiers. Current regulations regarding list letters can be traced back to the laws enacted in 2006 and electoral laws from 2021.