Election Appeals Board orders new elections

The Vårgårda group of parishes

On the evening of the day of the election, a preliminary vote count was carried out in the Vårgårda group of parishes. By mistake, all election materials were destroyed before a final count of the election results could be performed. As a result of the incident, all nominating groups and all candidates who stood in the electoral districts in the electoral area of the Vårgårda group of parishes for elections to the Parish Assembly in the Vårgårda group of parishes, the Diocesan Council in Skara Diocese and the General Synod received zero votes in the final count.

The Election Appeals Board’s decision

According to the report obtained by the Electoral Appeals Board, all votes from the election in the Vårgårda group of parishes were destroyed before a final count of the election results could be carried out. The conditions for cancelling an election and ordering a new one under Chapter 38, section 93, paragraph 1 of the Church Ordinance have thus been fulfilled.

It is also clear that as a result of what happened there is no means of rectifying the situation other than by a new election.

Election to the Parish Assembly

As regards the election to the Parish Assembly in the Vårgårda group of parishes, no final results exist. It is therefore clear that the incident had an impact on the outcome of the election.

As a result, the Electoral Appeals Board cancels the election to the Parish Assembly in the Vårgårda group of parishes and orders a new election there.

Election to the Diocesan Council

According to the report, the distribution of seats in the election to the Diocesan Council in Skara Diocese is also affected if the preliminary votes from the Vårgårda group of parishes are added to the final result from Kulling constituency, which includes the

Vårgårda group of parishes. It may therefore be assumed that the missing votes affected the outcome of the elections to the Diocesan Council.

The Diocesan Board of Skara Diocese has pointed out the consequences that a new election across the entire Killing constituency could have regarding the democratic outcome in the constituency, voter turnout in a new election and trust in and legitimacy of democratic processes in the Church of Sweden. Against this background, the Diocesan Board has expressed the hope that, if possible, a new election should be ordered only in the electoral districts directly concerned.

According to the Church Ordinance, there are no provisions that enable a new election to be limited in the way desired by the Diocesan Board. As a result, the new election should be held across the entire Kulling constituency.

The Election Appeals Board cancels the election to the Diocesan Council in Skara Diocese as far as Kulling constituency is concerned and orders a new election in Kulling constituency.

Election to the General Synod

With regard to the election to the General Synod, the Election Appeals Board concludes that the report does not provide a basis for the conclusion that the missing votes from Vårgårda in the constituency of Skara Diocese may reasonably be assumed to have affected the final distribution of seats and thus the outcome of the election.

The appeals are therefore to be dismissed as regards the election to the General Synod.

“I am confident that we have made a decision that complies with the Church Ordinance", says Lars Seger, Chair of the Election Appeals Board. “We share the Church Board's judgement and there is reason in future to come back to the Skara Diocesan Board's views on how a new election to the Diocesan Council may be held on a lesser scale”.

“The decisions have not been taken lightly”, says Lars Seger, "but we have carefully considered the comments received and the rules we have to follow”.

Vittinge Parish

During the Diocesan Board's handling of the votes for the election to the Parish Assembly in Vittinge Parish, Uppsala Diocese, a plastic envelope containing all the ballot papers for the election to the Parish Assembly was lost. As there were no votes to count at the final count, no seats have been allocated or members appointed to the Parish Assembly in Vittinge Parish.

The Election Appeals Board’s decision

In consideration of an appeal, the Electoral Appeals Board is required to annul an election to the extent necessary and order a new election in the constituency concerned if, in the preparation or conduct of the election, there has been an action, for which an ecclesiastical body is responsible, that departs from the prescribed order. However, a new election shall only take place if it may be reasonably assumed that what has occurred has influenced the outcome of the election. Where rectification can be achieved by a recount or other such less intrusive measure, the Board shall instead instruct the decision-making body to undertake rectification. (See Chapter 38, Section 93 of the Church Ordinance.)

The report shows that no seats have been allocated and no members appointed to the Parish Assembly in Vittinge Parish because all the ballot papers have been lost. The incident has affected the outcome of the election and there is no other way of rectifying it other than by a new election.

The Election Appeals Board cancels the election to the Parish Assembly in Vittinge Parish and orders a new election there.