The City of Stockholm is investing in polling station staff with roots in the Middle East and Africa for this autumn’s election. Those who speak languages such as Somali, Tigrinya, or Arabic are given priority for the jobs.
– It’s a merit, says Election Committee Office Chief Eva Debels to Samnytt.

Do you live in Stockholm, are ethnically Swedish, and speak fluent Swedish, English, German, and French? Unfortunately, that won’t give you the best chances of working as a polling station assistant in this September’s election.

The reason is that the Election Committee prioritizes more oriental languages like Arabic, Dari, Kurdish, Persian, Somali, and Tigrinya. Sign language is also in demand, according to the expression of interest form featured on the City of Stockholm’s website.

“Merit”

Eva Debels is office chief at Stockholm’s Election Committee. She told Samnytt that the city has actively worked to increase so-called diversity among polling staff since 2006.

Among other things, this means that those who speak certain languages get priority for these roles.

– Above all, it’s an advantage in areas where these languages are commonly spoken, says Debels.

So if someone is Swedish, do they have less chance of becoming a polling station worker in Rinkeby, for example?

– No, I wouldn’t say that.

But you say it’s a merit if you speak those languages?

– Yes, absolutely. But there are many other aspects we consider as well.

“Everyone Must Speak Swedish”

Eva Debels points out that the committee prefers polling workers who live close to the polling stations to ensure it’s easy for them to get there on election day. But speaking only Arabic or Somali is not enough.

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– Everyone must speak Swedish, she says.

Why isn’t it enough to speak Swedish if you’re working a Swedish election? Why do you need other languages?

– Because it lets you explain how voting works to voters, and help them.

Requiring certain language skills that put ethnic Swedes at a disadvantage for these jobs as polling station assistants isn’t that strange, according to Eva Debels.

– It’s a merit. It’s always like that when you recruit people. There are always things that are considered merits. Check any job ad. There are always requirements that are considered merits.

But here it’s about certain languages. For example, who besides Eritreans speaks Tigrinya?

– I wouldn’t know.

Not Discrimination

Eva Debels agrees that none of the languages considered meritorious are official minority languages in Sweden, such as Finnish, Romani, or Sami. Nor do good skills in English or large EU languages such as German, French, or Spanish give you a leg up for the job.

Asked directly whether it might constitute discrimination to formulate the job ad so that certain ethnic or national groups get priority, she responds:

– That’s a very strange line of reasoning!

She then adds, referring to immigrants who speak one of the six MENA languages (Middle East and North Africa):

– They are Swedish, aren’t they?

But there aren’t many in Sweden who speak Tigrinya who aren’t of Eritrean descent, and not many who speak Somali except those of Somali origin?

– Yes, but they’re still Swedes, aren’t they?

Debels maintains that the job ad is not discriminatory, and adds:

– You’re fully entitled to report us to the Equality Ombudsman if you think we’re discriminating in some way.

– We have a recruitment policy. In it, speaking these languages is a merit, and we place polling staff in areas where these languages are commonly spoken, concludes Eva Debels.

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