Overseas Swedish votes head toward record as envelope glue causes problems

Swedes living abroad appear on course to set a voting record in the coming election, but voters in humid countries are encountering an unexpected problem: ballot envelopes sticking together.

In New York, 523 Swedes had voted, 76 more than at the same stage in 2022, according to Svenskar i Världen. Several locations in Spain have also reported more voters than four years ago, while interest has risen in Perth, Cape Town and Edinburgh. Cecilia Borglin, the organization’s secretary general, said the number of overseas votes could reach a record. The overseas electoral register contains nearly 25% more people than previously, after the Election Authority contacted about 82,000 people who had dropped off or risked dropping off the register after 10 years abroad.

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I think more people have realized that political decisions also affect those who live abroad. I also think many feel they want to use their democratic right to vote.

This year, Swedes living abroad can also vote early while visiting Sweden. Borglin said she sensed greater engagement, partly because more people recognized that political decisions affect those who live outside the country. She said many also wanted to exercise their democratic right to vote.

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Swedes living in countries with humid climates, most recently Hong Kong, have told us that the envelopes stuck together because of the humidity. And if you pry open the envelope and add a small piece of tape, the vote becomes invalid.

But some postal voters have complained that humidity caused envelopes to glue themselves shut, including in Hong Kong during the previous election. Opening an envelope and adding a small piece of tape makes the ballot invalid, Borglin said. “These are votes that are lost,” she said.

Overseas votes could prove decisive if the election is close. There are 370,574 eligible overseas voters, although turnout in the previous election stood at just over 30%. The blocs were separated by 46,000 votes. A 2014 survey found overseas Swedes voted more to the right than the average voter, but Borglin said the group is too diverse for broad generalizations, ranging from students to workers and pensioners.

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These are votes that are lost.