Sick or disabled persons may vote through the agency of a relative or carer. Married voters can vote through the agency of husband or wife. Counting the votes When the polling station closes on Election Day, the election workers carry out a first, preliminary count of the votes cast. This is the count which is broadcast on television and radio election vigils. The definitive count is made the following week by the County Administrative Boards.
All counts are open to the general public.
The electoral system is intended to distribute seats in the Riksdag between the parties as fairly as possible in proportion to the number of votes cast. All votes, in principle, are of equal value, but seats are only awarded to parties attaining a certain level of electoral support. Seats are distributed by the National Tax Board on the basis of the reports from the County Administrative Boards. There are 349 Riksdag seats altogether, and of these 310 are fixed constituency seats, allotted to the constituencies in advance, according to the number of voters in each. After the election these seats are allocated to the parties on the basis of the result achieved in the respective constituency.