An election worker in Norrköping has been temporarily relieved of duty after reports that a voter was urged to vote for the red-green parties instead of the blue ones. The incident is said to have occurred in a so-called disadvantaged area already on the first day of advance voting and is now being investigated by the municipality.
A suspected incident in a polling station in Norrköping has resulted in an election worker being temporarily suspended from their duties. The individual is accused of trying to influence a voter politically while the voter was collecting ballot papers. The matter has been reported to the municipal election committee, which is now investigating what happened.
“Nothing has been established, but of course we take this very seriously,” said Roger Sandström, chairman of the election committee, in a comment to NT.
Advance voting ahead of the September 13 election began on Wednesday, August 26. On the very same day, information emerged about the incident in question, which is said to have taken place in a polling station in the Mirum shopping center in the “disadvantaged,” immigrant-dominated district of Hageby.
Urged Voters to Vote Red-Green
According to the report to Norrköping’s municipal election committee, an election worker is said to have turned to a person collecting ballot papers and urged the voter to “vote red or green, not blue.” The municipality has initiated an investigation to try to clarify the sequence of events.
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Roger Sandström (Centre Party), who sits on the municipal council and is chairman of the election committee, was informed about the report on Wednesday evening.
“We have certain procedures we follow. When we receive a report of an incident in a polling station, we must clarify the matter. During the investigation, the election worker in question is suspended,” he told NT.
Municipality’s Lawyers Involved
The municipality’s lawyers are now involved in the case. The election committee is also expected to address the matter further at its next meeting. Sandström emphasizes that it is not yet established exactly what happened, but at the same time describes the allegations as serious.
“We do not know exactly what happened and nothing has been established, but I take this very seriously.”
Asked how common it is for election workers to be reported for trying to influence voters’ political choices, Sandström cannot provide any statistics. This is the first time he is serving as chairman of the election committee, and he admits that “it doesn’t feel good” to start out this way.
Election workers receive training ahead of their work at polling stations. This takes place in two steps: first digitally through the Election Authority, and then on-site in the municipality.
Christian Democrats Reported the Incident
It is the Christian Democrats in Norrköping who are behind the report to the election committee. Eva-Britt Sjöberg, the party’s number two candidate and deputy mayor of the municipality, says she learned of the incident through a friend who told her that an election worker had tried to influence her to vote red, contrary to her intentions.
Sjöberg told NT that the incident made her “very angry, sad, and disappointed.” She emphasizes that political neutrality among those who work to receive votes is crucial for trust in the election process and fundamental to democracy.
The election worker is suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.