On election day alone, over 4,300 incidents were reported to the Electoral Authority. But there was nothing strange in itself. This year, for the first time, it was mandatory for municipalities, county administrations and foreign authorities to report various types of election incidents. In the past it has been voluntary.
The aim is to help the Swedish Electoral Authority form an overall picture and to strengthen protection during the conduct of the election. At the same time, the change means that the number of reports has naturally increased, and that the figure cannot be compared with previous elections.
- We knew from the beginning that there would be more incidents than before, says Anna Nyqvist, head of the Electoral Agency's office.
Electoral incidents should not be confused with electoral fraud, when it is suspected that a person or a party has tried to influence the election in their favor. Such incidents are reported to the police and fall outside the Electoral Authority's remit, emphasizes Anna Nyqvist.
Up until Friday, the police had received 60 reports about various forms of suspected election fraud. How many of them will lead to investigations is still unclear.
At the same time, the appeals about the election to the Election Review Board have skyrocketed. How many specific events are involved is also unclear. Several different people may have reported the same event.
- There are clearly more reports and more attention to these issues now. It may be because there has been more of that this election. Or it is because the attention leads to other things being reported, says Anna Nyqvist.
On Thursday, the electoral board in the city of Stockholm submitted a police report about suspected election fraud in JĂ€rva, following information that appeared in an editorial by SvD. The police have since started a preliminary investigation into improper actions during voting and taking improper rewards during voting.
The Electoral Board's head of office, Eva Debels, has made police reports in previous elections as well, but then without any investigation.
She says that the number of election incidents has increased in Stockholm now that reporting has become mandatory, but does not think that the election differs from previous elections.
- My comparison material is that I have carried out ten elections. I don't think this election stands out in any way, she says.
Electoral researcher John Högström, associate professor of political science at Mittuniversitetet, notes that the information about election fraud that is now being reported is serious - regardless of whether it leads to investigations or not.
- Free and fair elections form the basis of our democracy. Electoral fraud and administrative errors, or in some cases just suspicions of these, undermine the legitimacy of the election results. It can affect trust in elections and the democratic system as a whole, he says.
One way to compare this election to previous ones â despite the new incident reporting rules â might be to look at appeals about the election, as that has long been a measurable parameter.
- The number of appeals stands out now, but the question is whether it was blackmail before or whether this is something new, says John Högström, who himself investigated appeals at previous elections.
According to the election researcher, it is important to be careful about drawing conclusions before knowing more.
- We have to wait and see what the Electoral Review Board's statement will be and wait for the ongoing criminal investigations. It may take time.
