Lone Lindholt is a Danish resident living in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Private
Lone Lindholt – a Dane living in Vientiane, Laos – travelled all the way to Bangkok on Friday 6 March to cast her ballot for Denmark’s parliamentary election on 24 March.
Because Denmark has no voting facilities in Laos, Lone Lindholt had three possible options: the Danish embassy in Bangkok, around 650 kilometres away, or the Danish consulates in Hanoi, about 500 kilometres, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, roughly 1,050 kilometres.
Despite the effort, her vote may not count
The journey required flights, local transport and at least one night in a hotel.
“I left home at six in the morning to catch a flight to Bangkok so I could reach the embassy the same day. In practice it takes most of a day,” she told ScandAsia.
“I think I spent at least 500 dollars on flights and transport alone. Just to be able to vote.”
Although overseas voters were advised to cast their ballots by 9 March to ensure they reached Denmark in time, Lindholt was later made aware that her vote may still not arrive before the deadline to be counted after the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that postal delays linked to the situation in the Middle East could delay overseas ballots.
For the Dane living in Vientiane, the warning came as an unpleasant surprise.
“I’ve done what I’m supposed to do. But you still end up thinking: if I’ve spent this much time and money on it, the system should also be able to make sure the vote actually arrives,” she said.
May affect more than 38.000 Danes
Earlier this month, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Danes living abroad that postal delays linked to the situation in the Middle East may prevent some overseas ballots from reaching Denmark in time.
According to the ministry, mail to, from and via the Middle East is currently experiencing delays or disruptions, which may also affect ballots sent from parts of Asia where postal routes pass through the region.
A report by Danes Worldwide estimates that around 200,000 Danish citizens live outside Denmark, including children, with 12 percent living in Asia and 7 percent in the Middle East.
Some overseas ballots are typically lost in every Danish election because they do not reach Denmark in time. However, this year the number is expected to be higher due to the current disruptions affecting postal routes through the Middle East, according to Danish broadcaster DR.
Danes are told to prepare for crises. Shouldn’t the system be prepared too?
Lone says she understands that the situation in the Middle East is extraordinary but believes democratic systems should be better prepared for disruptions.
“As citizens we are constantly told to be prepared for crises,” she said.
“Then the public systems should also be able to function in a world where things don’t always go exactly according to plan.”
She believes authorities could have explored alternative ways to transport ballots.
“One short-term solution could be to send the ballots home by courier through diplomatic mail,” she said.
“That seems like a relatively low-hanging fruit.”
She also believes Denmark could consider digital identification solutions such as MitID in the future.
“If nothing else, you could at least try a pilot scheme,” she said.
It remains unclear how many overseas ballots may be affected by the postal disruptions. Danish authorities have urged voters abroad to cast their ballots as early as possible to increase the chances that they arrive in Denmark before the deadline.