Postnord delays Stockholm advance ballots, may slow vote count

Postnord has delayed the delivery of advance ballots in the Stockholm area by several hours, SVT reports. The Election Authority says the delay could extend the vote-counting process.

Ballots scheduled for delivery at 8 a.m. are now expected to arrive around lunchtime. Postnord press chief Anders Porelius said the company was experiencing exceptionally high demand after a record 3.6 million people voted in advance this year.

“We are working as quickly as we can to speed this up, but it is a security issue,” Porelius said.

The Election Authority confirmed the delay. Jenny Stad, the authority’s press officer, said election officials would have less time to examine the ballots before placing them in the ballot boxes.

“It is of course not good. We have been in contact with Postnord. It is difficult to say what this means for the count, but it can of course be delayed,” Stad told SVT.

Queues may also delay voting

Delayed advance ballots are not the only challenge that could affect polling stations on election day. In the 2022 election, voters were still queuing outside polling stations in several parts of the country when they closed.

Voters who join a queue before a polling station closes are allowed to cast their ballots. However, no one may join the queue after 8 p.m., Stad said.

The Election Authority has provided queue-management training together with the Agency for Civil Defence. Municipalities are responsible for managing queues at polling stations.