Röstetal

Röstetal is a Swedish term that denotes the number of votes received by a party, a list, or a candidate in an election. It is the raw vote count, distinct from röstandel (vote share) or mandatfördelning (seat distribution). The röstetal provides the concrete tally that underpins election reporting and subsequent calculations of representation.

Counting and publication: After polls close, ballots are counted at local polling stations and totals are aggregated by county boards and national authorities. The official röstetal for parties and candidates is published by the Swedish Election Authority (Valmyndigheten) for national elections, and by the county election boards for regional and municipal elections. The röstetal can be broken down by electoral district or municipality.

Applications: In proportional representation, röstetal determines the number of seats a party or list receives, subject to the applicable apportionment method and thresholds. Röstetal are also used to identify leading parties in media coverage and to compare performance across elections or regions.

Terminology: The term derives from rösta (to vote) and tal (number). In practice, analysts distinguish between röstetal (the count of votes) and röstandel (the share of votes). The concept is widely used in Swedish election statistics and public data releases, and is analogous to similar terms in other Nordic languages.