Local and regional council elections are coming up on Tuesday 19th of November and you should vote – yes you!
You get to vote on two things:
- The local council (Kommunalbestyrelsen) that makes decisions about things like schools, roads, planning, culture.
- The regional council (Regionsrådet) that makes decisions about higher education and health care.
Who can vote?
You are able to vote in local and regional elections if you are over 18, reside permanently in Denmark and if one of these apply to you. You:
- Are a Danish citizen with an address in Denmark
- Are a non-citizen who has lived in Denmark for the three years leading up to the election
- Are a citizen of a EU country, Iceland or Norway, living in Denmark
So for instance if you have studied here for more than three years or are an EU national who just moved here to work – then you can vote in this election.
How can I vote?
You might be surprised to know that you can already go vote today. From the 20th August to the 16th November you can “vote by letter“. That means you can go to the Borgerservice office, show passport and the yellow sygesikring and give your vote. If you are out of the country you can also go to a Danish embassy or consulate to vote in this way. Most people vote on the day of the election – Tuesday 19th of November. Depending on where you live you have to go to a specific location to vote. Here is a map of the voting places in Sonderborg Kommune. You can vote from 9am to 8pm on the day so you should be able to make it before or after work.
Bring your voting card (valgkort) that arrives in the mail and some ID (sygesikring, passport or EU driving license). On your voting card it will say which table you should go to collect your ballot.
Once you getting your ballots (one for city and one for region council) you step into an enclosed space with a small table and a pencil. You have to go in here on your own to ensure that you cast your vote in private. The voting ballot will be long with approximately 100 names on it. You need to put one (1) X next to either a party or a person. If you make a mistake you can get a new ballot.
Once your ballots are filled out you put them in the voting box and you are done.
Who can I vote for?
In Denmark you can vote for either a person or a party. Here is a page where you can see the results of last election in 2009.
The final list of candidates and parties is announced on October 22nd. In Sønderborg the parties you can vote for are:
- List A – Socialdemokratiet
- List B – Det Radikale Venstre
- List C – Det Konservative Folkeparti
- List F – Socialistisk Folkeparti (SF)
- List K – Kristendemokraterne
- List L – Fælleslisten
- List O – Dansk Folkeparti
- List S – Slesvigsk Parti
- List V – Venstre
- List Ø – Enhedslisten
Why should I vote?
Sønderborg City Council manages a yearly budget of 4.7 billion DKK regarding the kommune and in the election your vote is they way you can influence how this money should be used.