Köer och valdeltagande i de allmänna valen 2022

Abstract

Lines and voter turnout in the 2022 Swedish general election Studies of whether long lines at polling stations may impact voter turnout are scarce, and hitherto none has analyzed a high-turnout proportional electoral system. We investigate whether problematic election-day lines at polling places during the 2022 Swedish general election contributed to the considerable decline in turnout. Our analyses combine data on polling stations’ closing times in the 20 largest municipalities with survey data on poll workers in three municipalities. The results suggest that precincts with line problems on election day saw lower turnout than comparable precincts. Interestingly, this effect appears to have been partly offset by some voters instead casting their ballots in an advance voting polling station on election day. Although the line problems were not widespread enough to explain more than a fraction of the overall decline in turnout, congestion risks are important to consider in future elections to avoid a higher and more unequal cost of voting.