Local elections

You can vote, here’s why you should and how

On November 18th, local elections are taking place in Denmark. It’s the only type of election where residents without the Danish citizenship can vote. In fact, almost half a million internationals have that right, yet only a third shows up to vote (Momentum, 2025). The low turnout often sparks debate about whether expats care about local democracy, but the reality is that many simply don’t know how or where to start.

When I received my first poll card in 2021, it came out of the blue. I didn't speak Danish and found it challenging to understand how the system worked and who exactly I could vote for. That’s why in this newsletter I’ll walk you through both parts: how the elections system works and where to find information about the candidates.

Your vote helps shape the place you live in. It influences how your local government spends money on schools, healthcare, transport, and culture. By voting, you contribute to making a decision on where part of your tax money goes, rather than letting others decide for you.

Not planning to vote? Before you close this letter, remember that you can cast a blank vote. Even though it's not ideal, as it won't affect the outcome, it counts as showing up.

If you know other internationals who might be eligible to vote, share this newsletter with them so they can get the basics, too. You’ll find the link on our website, or you can print a poster (you'll find it at the end).

Who can vote

You can vote if you:

Are 18 years or older
Have a registered address in Denmark (in the municipality or region where you live)
Meet one of these conditions:
You are a Danish citizen
You are a citizen of another EU country, Iceland, Norway, or the United Kingdom
You are a non-EU citizen who has lived in Denmark, Greenland, or the Faroe Islands for at least four years without interruption.

In other words, if you live here long-term, you most likely can vote, even if you’re not Danish. The right to vote is tied to residence, not nationality.

Source: lifeindenmark.dk

What kind of elections are these?

At the local elections, you have two votes: One for your municipal council (kommunalbestyrelse/byråd), and one for your regional council (regionsråd). Both are elected every 4 years.

I’ll get into the voting process further down, but first, let’s look at how these two levels of local government work in practice.

The municipalities (kommuner)

Denmark has 98 municipalities, each with its own elected council. This is the level of government that most directly affects your daily life.

The municipal council makes decisions about your local area: childcare, schools, elderly care, bike paths, local health services, integration and job programs, public housing, libraries, and cultural life. In short, it’s the level that decides on local issues and community priorities.

Each council has between 9 and 31 members (55 in Copenhagen), depending on the size of the municipality. After the election, the elected members choose the mayor among themselves, you don’t vote for one directly. Most parties announce who they’d appoint as mayor if they get enough seats, but it’s not always clear who will actually end up with the position.

The regions (regioner)

Alongside the municipalities, Denmark has five regions. However from 2026 there will be four, as Region Hovedstaden (Capital Region) and Region Sjælland (Zealand Region) will merge into a Region Østdanmark (Eastern Denmark Region).

That means at the next election, voters will choose 134 regional politicians:

25 for Region Nordjylland (North Jutland Region)
31 for Region Midtjylland (Central Jutland Region)
31 for Region Syddanmark (Southern Denmark Region)
47 for the new Region Østdanmark (Eastern Denmark Region)

The 3 western regions will start working in 2026, while Østdanmark will start in 2027, spending the first year preparing the merger.

The regions manage a large share of Denmark’s welfare system, with most of their resources going to healthcare. They run the hospitals, oversee psychiatric care, and coordinate with private doctors and specialists. They also handle regional transport, environmental work, and specialized social institutions that serve several municipalities.

In short

You’re voting for two layers of local government that share responsibility for how daily life works:

The municipality handles what’s close to home: childcare, schools, elderly care, housing, libraries, and local roads.
The region takes care of broader services that need coordination across several municipalities: hospitals, mental health care, doctors, public transport, and parts of environmental policy.

Together, they make up the local democracy that delivers most of Denmark’s welfare system.

Sources:

Christensen, J. G. et al. (2017) Chapter 5. Kommunal og regional forvaltning. In Politik og forvaltning. 4th edition. Kbh: Hans Reitzel.
The Ministry of the Interior and Health: https://www.ism.dk/indenrigs/kommunal-og-regionaloekonomi/kommunale-opgaver-og-struktur/kommunernes-og-regionernes-opgaver
Danske regioner: regioner.dk/stem/fakta-om-regionerne/fremtidens-fire-nye-regioner/

📸 Colourbox

How to vote

You don’t need to register in advance to vote. You’ll automatically receive a poll card (valgkort) at least five days before election day. It includes the date, opening hours (afstemningstid), and the exact address of your polling station (afstemningssted). Remember to bring the card with you when you go to vote.

There are 2 ways you can vote by:

In advance
On the election day

Voting in advance

You can vote in advance until 14th November at your local Citizen Service (Borgerservice).

How it works

When you arrive, you'll have to show your ID (health card, driver’s licence, or passport) to the election staff.
Then, they'll give you: one ballot for the municipal election (blue envelope), one ballot for the regional election (yellow envelope), a cover letter (følgebrev), one larger outer envelope.

When you receive the items, you'll:

Fill in your ballots privately.
Put each ballot in its correct envelope.
Fill in the cover letter with your name, address, date of birth, today’s date, and signature while the staff member is present.
The staff member signs the cover letter to confirm that everything was done correctly.
Put the two envelopes and the cover letter inside the larger white envelope.
Write your name, address, and date of birth on the outer envelope.

The Citizen Service then sends your vote by post to your home municipality, where it will be counted on election day.

If you later change your mind, you can vote again. Only your most recent vote will count. If you have already voted in advance, you cannot vote again on election day.

Source: Folketinget

Voting on election day

Polling stations are usually open from 8:00 to 20:00 on the day.

When you arrive at your polling station, the process is simple:

Give your poll card (valgkort) to the election staff. If you have lost or forgotten it, they will print a new one when you show your ID (health card, driver’s licence, or passport).
Tell your birth date so they can find you in the register.
Your name will be crossed off the voter list.
You’ll receive your ballot.
Go into a voting booth, mark your X on the ballot, and fold it.
Drop your folded ballot into the ballot box.

Source: Folketinget

Filling out the ballot

It’s important to fill out the ballot correctly, otherwise your ballot will be counted invalid.

Each ballot lists the parties or local lists and, underneath them, the candidates. You can make only one cross (x) per ballot. You can either:

Mark your cross next to a party or list name, or
Mark it next to one candidate’s name under that list.

When you vote for a list, your vote will help that party gain seats in the council, and when seats are distributed, your vote will be shared among the candidates on that list according to its internal rules.

If you put your cross by a candidate, you’re voting for both the party and for that specific person. Your vote still strengthens the list overall, but it also counts as a personal vote that can help that candidate move up the list.

Note that it has to be clear where you put the cross (either "x" or "+"). If you marked several crosses, or your mark is a circle, triangle, smiley or anything else, it will be counted as invalid. The same applies to coloured pens or crosses that are not clear/visible enough. If you made a mistake, you can ask the staff for a new ballot

Source: Folketinget

You can read an official handbook that briefly explains the elections in English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Pashto, Polish, Romanian, Somali, Tigrinya, Turkish, and Ukrainian. The handbook: dnir.dk/det-nationale-integrationsrad-udgiver-pjecen-det-er-dit-valg-op-til-kommunal-og-regionalvalget-2025

📸 Ministry of Inferior and Health. Example of the ballot.

Translation:

Put an X in the box in front of a party or a candidate.

Put only one X on the ballot paper.

You must not mark anything other than an X, as your ballot will then be invalid.

You can get a new ballot if you make a mistake.

How to decide who to vote for

Unfortunately, the majority of information is only available in Danish. Luckily, you can get far with web translation tools, make sure to use them. Here are some suggestions on how to learn about who’s running and what they stand for.

A candidate test

One of the quickest ways to get going is to take a candidate test on DR or Altinget where you answer how much you agree or disagree with a series of statements. Some statements are more general; others touch upon issues that are specific to your municipality or region. The results show 6 (DR) or 11 (Altinget) candidates you most agree with.

From here on, you can click and read further explanations of the candidates' choices, and compare your and the candidate's answers. This is an important step because your high score might result from agreement on less significant topics while masking differences on those that matter to you most.

If you plan to vote for a party instead of a specific person, check which parties are most dominant in your candidate top 6/11 list.

Further research

If you need more information about the party or the candidate, use Google. The information differs depending on municipality and the party - some parties share a lot of information online, others not so much. Beside websites, don't forget to scroll through social media pages. While not guaranteed, you may get to form a firmer impression of the candidate.

If you want to find local opinion polls, Google “meningsmålinger” together with the name of your municipality.

Read the news coverage

DR’s elections section is a good place to get a sense of what’s happening locally. It gathers a wide range of articles about issues across Denmark, so if you’re not quite sure what matters in your area or want a bit of broader context it’s worth a look.

In this section, you will also find lists of all parties and candidates along with results on the election night. Alternatively, use valg.dk – the official site, providing elections information.

If you're voting in Copenhagen, you can find a collection of articles in English on The Copenhagen Post, though some hide behind a paywall.

Follow debates

Unfortunately, if you don’t understand Danish, the possibilities are rather scarce. I have added links to as many events in English as I could find in the events section below, they are marked in purple. You can also try searching “local elections candidate debate 2025 [your municipality]” or ask in local Facebook groups if anyone knows of coming up debates or other events.

If you understand Danish, I recommend:

Checking out DR’s programme Kandidatfesten, where you can find debates from all municipalities with leading candidates of all parties.
Look for physical debates via your municipality’s or local library’s site as well as Facebook groups. You can also google keywords “kandidatdebat”, “vælgermøde”, “valgmøde” with the name of your municipality.

Come and vote on November 18th. It’s a rare chance to take part in Danish democracy and help shape the community you live in. Don’t go alone. Take a fellow expat with you, the more the merrier.

Share this newsletter with others or click the button below to download a printable poster.

Download poster

November in Denmark

The darkness really sets in November, but luckily, the Christmas season begins, lighting up the streets and homes with fairy lights.

🍺 J-dag (7 November). If you're out in the city center on the first Friday of November, you'll meet many celebrating people in blue Christmas hats with Tuborg’s Christmas beer, Julebryg, in hand. What began in 1990 as a marketing stunt has become one of Denmark’s most beloved unofficial holidays. At exactly 20:59, brewery trucks decorated in blue and white roll through cities handing out free samples and the signature blue Santa hats. Bars, pubs, and student cafés host parties, often with live music and themed drinks.

🦆 Mortensaften (10–11 November). Mortensaften, or St. Martin’s Eve, is the traditional night for roast duck dinners. The story goes that Saint Martin tried to hide from being made a bishop, but a group of noisy ducks gave him away. And Danes have been eating duck ever since. On the 10th of November, many Danish families gather together for a cozy dinner, celebrating the Mortensaften.

🎄 Christmas markets and skating rinks. By mid-November the colourful elections posters are replaced by the Christmas lights and Denmark begins to glow again. Christmas markets open in the city squares, offering gløgg (mulled wine), æbleskiver (apple slices - spherical Danish "pancakes"), and handmade gifts. Outdoor skating rinks also open for the season.

🎅 Julefrokost season begins. If your friends suddenly become unavailable every weekend from late November onwards till mid-January, it’s not you, it’s julefrokost. The Danish Christmas lunch (which is actually a dinner) fills up calendars fast. Workplaces, study groups, hobby clubs, families, and friend circles each host their own, so by December, many Danes are juggling multiple invitations, and even stretch them out to November or even January.

Julefrokost is a marathon of food, music, and good company that lasts for hours. The table is loaded with traditional dishes like sild (pickled herring), leverpostej (liver pâté), flæskesteg (roast pork), and plenty of snaps. There’s a lot of it, and while Denmark has a strong drinking culture, you shouldn’t feel pressured to drink more than you’re comfortable with.

📸 Nicole Michalou

Upcoming events

Here's a collection of events that you can participate in November around Denmark. Election-related events are highlighed in purple.

Tax Q&A

Soon, your preliminary income assessment (forskudsopgørelse) will be available. It shows your expected income, deductions, and tax for the coming year. Join our free online Q&A sessions with experts from the Danish Tax Agency to ask your questions about the assessment and get guidance on how to update it if your details have changed. Watch introductory video.