Who can vote?

Voting rights in municipal and regional elections

Municipal elections determine how your municipality is governed. If you live in Malmö and are registered here, you vote in Malmö’s municipal elections. This means you have a say in local issues such as schools, elderly care, and how the city develops, including streets and parks.

Regional elections determine how your region is governed, including services such as healthcare and public transport.

You may vote in municipal and regional elections if you:

• are at least 18 years old on election day, and
• are registered in the municipality or region where you wish to vote.

You must also be one of the following:

• A Swedish citizen. You only need to be registered in the municipality or region.
• A citizen of an EU country, Iceland or Norway. You may vote if you are registered in the municipality or region.
• A citizen of another country, or stateless. You must have been registered in Sweden for at least three consecutive years before election day. You must also be registered in the municipality or region.

If you are temporarily abroad

The rules above also apply if you are abroad for less than one year and remain registered in the Swedish Population Register. This may be the case if you are studying or working abroad.

Voting rights in parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections determine how Sweden is governed, including matters such as legislation, education, healthcare and the economy.

You may vote in parliamentary elections if you:

• are at least 18 years old on election day,
• are a Swedish citizen, and
• are or have previously been registered as a resident in Sweden.

This means you can vote even if you do not currently live in Sweden, as long as you are a Swedish citizen and have been registered as a resident in Sweden in the past.

Voting rights for people living abroad (Swedish expatriates)

If you have moved from Sweden and are considered a Swedish expatriate, different rules apply. In that case, you may be eligible to vote in parliamentary elections. For your vote to count, you must be registered on the electoral roll.