15 Swedish Vocabulary Words for the American Election Posted by Marcus Cederström on Nov 8, 2016 in Vocabulary
You may have heard that there is an election today. Millions of people across the United States will be voting for representatives, senators, ballot measures, new laws, all kinds of things. And President. They will also be voting on who should be President for the next four years.
The election process is a little different in Sweden. There’s no Electoral College for example. You don’t vote for a president (or even a prime minister for that matter, the Riksdag does that). Voting happens on a Sunday. There are separate ballots for each party. Voters do not need to register. If you are eligible to vote, you are a registered voter. For more on Swedish elections, check out our posts: 10 facts about Swedish politics and Valstugor – a Swedish phenomenon?
But we aren’t voting in Sweden today. We’re voting in the United States. So here are 15 Swedish vocabulary words for today’s election:
That’s my “I Voted” sticker from the 2016 election in Wisconsin! With a bit of cat hair mixed in for good measure. Photo credit: Marcus Cederström.
| Swedish | English |
| att rösta | to vote |
| en demokrat | Democrat |
| en kampanj | campaign |
| en politik | politics |
| en politiker | politician |
| en president | president |
| en republikan | Republican |
| en röst | a vote |
| en rösträtt | right to vote |
| en röstsedel/en valsedel | ballot |
| en valdag | Election Day |
| en väljare | voter |
| en vallokal | polling place |
| ett politiskt parti | political party |
| ett val | election |
Fun (and kind of important) reminder: ett val means “an election,” en val means “a whale.”
With that in mind, if you’re eligible to vote in this country, do so.
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About the Author: Marcus Cederström
Marcus Cederström has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2009. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Oregon, a Master's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught Swedish for several years and still spells things wrong. So, if you see something, say something.