2. School elections in the Nordic countries

2.1. History of school elections

School elections for minors and other elections for young people that simulate national elections and give young people the opportunity to try voting before they reach the official voting age have long been organised in the Nordic countries. The purpose of these elections for young people is to lower the threshold for exercising their right to vote in official elections. Through functional learning, young people gain experience of how elections and democracy work. This increases their ability and willingness to participate in societal processes later in life.

As far as it is known, school elections have been organised in Sweden (Skolval) the longest, for more than 60 years. They were initially organised locally and later with the support of the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society MUCF since 1998 and with the support of the Ministry of Education and Research since 2002. Since 2014, the school elections have been organised in connection with all national elections in Sweden.

In Norway (Skolevalg), the elections have been organised locally since the 1980s, systematically by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training UDIR in all local and national elections since 1989, and also in the EU referendum since 1994.

In Finland (Youth Elections), the elections have been organised since the 1990s by the Finnish National Youth Council and Youth Sector.

In Denmark (Skolevalg) the elections have been organised at the initiative of the Danish Youth Council DUF and with the support of the Danish Parliament since 2015. The Danish model differs from other countries in that the school elections are not linked to the country’s other elections – the school elections are organised as independent elections every two years.

In Iceland (#ÉgKýs), school elections have been organised since 2016 by the National Youth Council of Iceland LUF and its partners.

2.2. What is the purpose of school elections?

According to research, young people are often highly interested in politics and the society, but this interest is not always channelled into voting or other traditional forms of participation. Democratic values, attitudes and skills must also be learned in practice in order to strengthen the perception of the importance of one’s own voice. Democracy education should be an essential part of schools' operations, as theoretical knowledge alone is not enough. Research also shows that democracy education can be used to reduce differences in participation and internal civic competence due to background. (Rautiainen & Vetter 2024; Kestilä-Kekkonen et al., 2022; Kestilä-Kekkonen et al., 2024).

Young people have reported reasons for not voting in official elections, such as a lack of information about national politics or voting practices and a feeling that their own vote does not matter. Some young people also find it difficult to find a suitable candidate or party. (Hormio et al., 2023).

School elections are a concrete way to turn young people’s political and societal interest into action. They lower the threshold for later participation in official elections when the voting practices are known in advance. Through school elections, young people also learn to understand how their voice can have an impact in society, which increases their experience of opportunities to influence and motivation to participate in democratic processes in the future.

School elections and the democracy and participation related teaching in connection to them are tools of democracy education that strengthen young people’s internal civic competence. They offer young people the opportunity to learn about the election process, the functioning of parties and the selection of candidates in a practical manner even before voting in the official elections. In this way, school elections support young people’s commitment to the democratic system through knowledge and experience. The aim is that the lessons learned and experiences gained during school elections will also bear fruit later as the young people reach the voting age and can participate in official elections.

2.3 Who participates in the school elections?

School elections in Finland, Sweden and Norway are aimed at lower and upper secondary school students. In Denmark, school elections are aimed at lower secondary school students, and in Iceland, they are aimed at upper secondary school students. The invitation to participate is always directed at all schools, but participation is voluntary for both schools and students in all countries.

Finland differs from other countries in that youth elections can also be organised outside schools – the participants can be, for example, libraries, youth facilities, hobby groups or other groups of young people. This is why the term “Youth Elections” is used to describe school elections in Finland. In Finland, the presidential elections for young people in spring 2024 reached 95,000 young people, which is approximately 22 per cent of the young people in the target group. As the elections were organised, it was observed that vocational school students are significantly more difficult to reach than upper secondary school students.

In Finland, youth elections were also organised in connection with municipal and county elections for the first time in 2025. County elections interested both young people and the organisers significantly less: municipal elections were organised in 450 places, while county elections were organised in only 215. The proportion of votes rejected in the county elections also indicates that they were clearly more difficult to understand than the municipal elections. Of the votes cast in the municipal elections, 9.7 per cent were rejected, while 18.4 per cent of the votes were rejected in the county elections.

In Sweden, 89 per cent of all municipalities participated in the school elections organised in connection with the parliamentary elections in 2022. The elections reached more than 390,000 young people, with a voting percentage of 77.9. In Finland, fewer people participated in the county elections than in the municipal elections, while in Sweden, the number of participants in connection with the EU elections was lower compared to the parliamentary elections: Only 50 per cent of all municipalities in the country participated in the EU elections, with a voting percentage of 55.3.

In Sweden, it has been observed that socio-economic background affects the voting turnout of individuals. There are also differences between the participating schools: public schools are more likely to participate than private schools, and if the school is a special education school, it is less likely to participate. Large schools are more likely to participate than smaller schools.

In Denmark, approximately half of the country’s lower secondary schools participated in the school elections that were organised separately from the official elections. The school elections reached approximately 71,000 young people. Differences between the voters were examined in 2021, and no clear results emerged at the time.

In Norway school elections reach the most young people. 379 schools participated in the school elections organised in connection with the parliamentary elections in 2025. Votes were cast in 367 of the schools. Voter turnout was 81.4%.

In Iceland, 10,896 votes were counted in the school elections organised in connection with the parliamentary elections in 2024, and the voting percentage among all eligible voters was 34.9. No differences have been observed between the different participating groups in the country.

2.4. How are the impacts of school elections examined?

Examining the impact of school elections and related research varies greatly between the Nordic countries. In Finland, the impacts are examined on a school election-specific basis, and the Finnish National Youth Council and Youth Sector compiles statistics on the subject. Among other things, the impacts have been assessed through feedback surveys, according to which 60 per cent of the respondents would vote in the national elections. Although the participation of young people and democracy education is a subject of academic research in Finland, no specific research has been carried out on school elections.

In Sweden, a comprehensive report is published after each school election, including an assessment of the impact of the election. The reports have been published since 2002, when the Ministry of Education and Research started to participate in the organisation of the elections. Swedish school elections have also been studied academically. The results show that approximately 70 per cent of the participating students have felt that their knowledge of democratic decision-making and politics has increased. Understanding of the views of different parties increased, and 82 per cent said they would vote in the national elections after reaching adulthood. (OECD, 2023).

The results of the assessment highlighted significant differences between students born in Sweden and students born outside Sweden. The latter group showed greater confidence in political influencing and were more politically active. The assessment also emphasised that disinformation can be countered through school elections. (OECD, 2023).

In Norway, data on school elections is collected very systematically. The national research operator Sikt has collected and published data on school elections since 1989. The participating schools are also offered the opportunity to participate in the school election survey. 87 per cent of the students who responded to the school election survey in 2025 said they had voted in the school elections. The annually recurring questions enable longitudinal research, and the results of school elections are also compared between the adult population and young people.

In Denmark, the parliament collects information in connection with the elections. The schools and students are asked the same questions in connection with each election so that they can be compared. The results are published by region and school. Academic research has also been carried out on school elections in 2015 and 2017, according to which school elections had a positive impact on the internal civic competence of students. Internal civic competence refers to perceived ability to influence society and to understand the functioning of society. The school elections increased students’ trust in the political system and politicians and increased students’ understanding of the views of political parties. (Hansen, Hansen & Levinsen 2015; Hansen, 2017).

In Iceland, information about the school election campaign is compiled on the campaign’s website. After the school elections, it has been observed that the voting turnout of the youngest voters increased in both county elections and parliamentary elections, where the voting percentage of the youngest voters increased by 9.5 per cent. Academic research has shown that in schools with mock elections, students were more politically engaged in terms of how interested they were in politics and the frequency with which they discussed politics (Finnbogadóttir & Önnudóttir, 2022).

2.5. School elections in the Nordic autonomous regions

There are three autonomous regions in the Nordic countries: Åland (Finland), the Faroe Islands (Denmark) and Greenland (Denmark). In addition to the national elections, the autonomous regions also organise their own county elections.

At least in Åland, school elections have been organised in connection with the national elections. School elections have not been organised in the region’s own elections, but the local operators have shown interest in doing this in the future.

According to the information gathered for this publication, no school elections that cover the entire region have been organised in the Faroe Islands. However, election debates have been organised in connection with the official elections at higher education institutions where the students are already adults and of voting age. However, no separate elections have been organised for young people, with the exception of student council elections, in which young people themselves stand as candidates.

No school elections that cover the entire region have been organised in Greenland. Democracy education is part of the schools’ curriculum, and the themes are also discussed in more detail in connection with the official elections. However, topics related to the participation of young people and democracy education are increasingly relevant in Greenland. The topics are increasingly being discussed, and local schools, municipalities and youth organisations occasionally organise activities related to the participation of young people and democracy education. More detailed information about these activities was not available at the time of writing this publication.

2.6. School elections in connection with indigenous peoples’ elections

The Sámi, i.e. the indigenous people living mainly in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, have their own representative self-government body, the Sámi Parliament, which represents the Sámi people in domestic and international affairs. As far as it is known, elections for young people are only organised in connection with the Sámi Parliament in Norway. Participation in these school elections is clearly lower: when 379 schools registered for the parliamentary elections in Norway, only 35 schools registered for the elections organised in connection with the Sámi Parliament. The elections were organised at the same time (Sikt). No information on whether school elections or other democracy education measures for young people are organised in other countries in connection with the Sámi Parliament could be found for this publication.