Expressions for Discussing Electoral Processes
How Swedes talk about elections — valurnor, förtidsröstning, fyraprocentsspärren and valvaka.
A Swedish election from start to finish: going to the valurnorna, the mechanics (vallokal, lägga sin röst, förtidsröstning), the count and the results night (valvaka, vallokalsundersökning, jordskredsseger eller jämn kamp), the parliamentary math (fyraprocentsspärren, bilda regering, misstroendeförklaring) — closing on the civic bookends: att vela, and varje röst räknas.
- 1
att gå till valurnorna
to go to the polls
Tip: literally 'to go to the ballot boxes'; the standard collective phrase
- 2
vallokal
polling station
Tip: literally 'election premises'; often a school or library
- 3
valurna
ballot box
Tip: 'urna' is the same word as urn
- 4
att lägga sin röst
to cast your vote
Tip: literally 'to lay one's voice' — 'röst' means both voice and vote
- 5
valdeltagande
voter turnout
Tip: literally 'election participation'; Sweden's is famously high, above 80%
- 6
förtidsröstning
advance voting
Tip: voting in the weeks before election day — very common in Sweden
- 7
rösträkningen
the count
Tip: 'räkna' = to count; the preliminary count happens on the night
- 8
det preliminära valresultatet
the preliminary result
Tip: the final one comes days later after the onsdagsräkning
- 9
en jordskredsseger
a landslide victory
Tip: literally 'a landslide victory' — the same earth-slipping image as English
- 10
en jämn kamp
a close race
Tip: 'jämn' = even; used for anything neck and neck
- 11
fyraprocentsspärren
the four percent threshold
Tip: literally 'the four-percent barrier' — the share a party needs to enter the Riksdag
- 12
att bilda regering
to form a government
Tip: note there is no article: 'bilda regering', not 'bilda en regering'
- 13
en misstroendeförklaring
a vote of no confidence
Tip: literally 'a declaration of distrust'; the Riksdag's tool for removing a minister
- 14
valvaka
election night
Tip: literally 'election vigil' — the parties' and broadcasters' all-night results event
- 15
en vallokalsundersökning
an exit poll
Tip: SVT's is known by the short name VALU
- 16
en ogiltig röst
a spoiled ballot
Tip: 'ogiltig' = invalid; a blank vote is 'en blank röst' and is counted separately
- 17
en omräkning
a recount
Tip: the prefix 'om-' carries the sense of doing it again
- 18
rösterna är räknade
the votes have been counted
Tip: the phrase used when the result is in
- 19
att erkänna sig besegrad
to concede defeat
Tip: literally 'to acknowledge oneself defeated'
- 20
att vela
to dither / be unable to decide
Tip: genuine everyday Swedish for wavering; 'sitta på två stolar' means having it both ways, which is different
- 21
varje röst räknas
every vote counts
Tip: the standard get-out-the-vote line