Upcoming 2025 Swedish Church Election: Key Information and Voter Guide
Guide to the 2025 Swedish Church Election covers key facts about voting and eligibility.
- • Kyrkoval scheduled for September 21, 2025, with early voting starting on September 8, 2025.
- • Eligible voters must be members of Svenska kyrkan and at least 16 years old.
- • Voter turnout was only 18.4% in 2021 elections, much lower than general elections.
- • Voting involves selecting representatives at local, regional, and national levels.
Key details
The Kyrkoval, or Church Election, is set to take place on September 21, 2025, with early voting having commenced on September 8. To be eligible to vote, individuals must be members of the Svenska kyrkan (Swedish Church) and at least 16 years old, and they must receive their voting card by September 3. Voter turnout in past elections has been significantly lower than in general elections, with only 18.4% of eligible voters participating in the 2021 elections, a stark contrast to the approximately 85% turnout seen in general elections.
Voting will occur at designated polling stations, and participants are required to present identification. The voting process allows individuals to select representatives in three categories: for their local church council (kyrkofullmäktige) with white ballots, for the regional diocese (stiftet) using pink ballots, and for the national church assembly (kyrkomötet) with yellow ballots. The kyrkomötet operates similarly to the national parliament, making critical decisions that influence the church as a whole. Voters can choose from various nomination groups, which may include political parties and independent interest groups. The last elections saw the Left party making significant gains, while traditional parties such as the Social Democrats experienced seat losses.