Valfusk

Valfusk is a term used in Swedish to denote electoral fraud, the set of illegal actions intended to undermine the fairness of elections. The word combines val (election) and fusk (cheating). It describes attempts to influence election outcomes through deceptive or coercive means, including tampering with ballots, vote buying, intimidation of voters or officials, manipulation of registration lists, impersonation to vote more than once, falsification of results, ballot box stuffing, or illicit interference with counting procedures. It also covers modern techniques such as falsified digital votes, hacking of voting systems, dissemination of false information to suppress turnout, and fraudulent use of proxy or postal ballots.

Legal frameworks and penalties: In many democracies valfusk is a criminal offense with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment. The specifics depend on national or regional law and may include provisions for electoral offences such as bribery, abuse of influence, or tampering with official documents. Prosecutors typically require evidence of intent, actions that exceed ordinary political activity, and demonstrable impact on results.

Prevention, detection, and assessment: Election administrations employ controls such as secure chain of custody for ballots, voter registration verification, authentication procedures, observer rights, audits, and post-election recounts. Independent electoral observers and civil-society watchdogs help document irregularities. Research suggests that while significant fraud is relatively uncommon in many elections, even small instances can erode legitimacy and public trust. Data availability and measurement of prevalence vary across jurisdictions.