Local (municipal) and regional elections

You are eligible to vote if you are 18+ years of age. To vote for the local election in Aarhus, you must be a resident of the City of Aarhus (Aarhus Kommune), and to vote for the regional election in Central Denmark, you must be residing in Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland).

Also, you must either: 

• Have Danish citizenship, or
• Be a citizen of another EU Member State, Iceland or Norway, or
• If you are 18+ years of age but neither a citizen of Denmark, another EU Member State, nor a citizen of Iceland or Norway you may vote if you have resided in Denmark for a period of four years prior to election day. 

If you have moved from another municipality in Denmark to Aarhus less than 7 days prior to election day, you can vote in your former municipality. If you have moved from abroad to Aarhus, you must have been registered at an address in Aarhus (you have been issued with a CPR number by Citizen Service - Borgerservice) no less than 7 days before election day to be eligible to vote.

EU citizens who are not yet registered with a CPR number

EU citizens with a permanent address in Denmark and who by or before Election Day have reached 18 years of age are entitled to vote in local and regional elections. If you are legally residing in Denmark, but you are not yet registered as a resident in the Civil Registration System (CPR), you can still be considered to have a permanent address in Denmark. This may be the case if you are waiting to receive an EU residence document (EU registration certificate) from the Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

In order for you to exercise your voting right, you must be enrolled in the electoral register upon application.

If you want to vote in the local municipal and regional elections, you must fill out an application form and enclose documentation for the information stated on the application form.

You will find the application form and deadlines of submitting the application on the website of the Ministry of the Interior and Health.

You submit the application to the City of Aarhus (Aarhus Kommune):

• By sending the required documents to Folkeregistret, Hack Kampmanns Plads 2, 8000 Aarhus C, or
• By showing up in person at Citizen Service at Dokk1 to submit your application

UK-citizens

UK citizens who were already residing in Denmark on 31 January 2020 and still reside in Denmark are eligible to vote in local and regional elections.

UK citizens who moved to Denmark after 31 Ja­nuary 2020 follow the same guidelines as non-EU citizens and will be eligible to vote in local and regio­nal elections once they have resided in Denmark for four years.

A person entitled to vote in elections to local and regional councils is also eligible for election to these councils unless the person in question has been sentenced or has passed a sentence that results in loss of eligibility. 

To stand for the local election (city council), the candidates (party, non-party list, or individual person) must fill in a candidate list form with a record of candidates. The form only exists in Danish. The form must also state who are supporters of the candidate list. The supporters must sign and state their address and civil registration number (CPR number).

At least 50 supporters must have signed the form.

Upon agreement with the Election Secretariat (Valgsekretariatet), the form with information on the candidates and supporters may be picked up at Dokk1 in the Citizen Service (Borgerservice) a few months before elections. The form must be handed in at the same place no later than nine weeks before the election date at noon.

For further information on rules and deadlines, please contact the Election Secretariat, and a meeting may be set up if needed.

If you are considering standing up for the elections, contact the Election Secretariat at jel@aarhus.dk.

Before election day

If you are eligible to vote, you will automatically receive a poll card approximately five days before election day.

The poll card will tell you the location of your designated polling station.

You will only receive one poll card regardless of whether you are entitled to vote for both the local and regional elections or only the regional elections (i.e. if you have moved to another municipality in the same region less than 7 days before election day).

At the polling station

At the polling station, you have to present yourself at the voting table indicated on your poll card (valgkort) and turn over your poll card to the keeper of the electoral register. You will be requested to give your date of birth. You might also be requested to give your name and/or address.

If you have not received your poll card, or you have forgotten to bring it to the polling station, you can still vote. In case of doubt about your identity, the keeper of the electoral register has to determine your identity and might, for this reason, ask you to provide some form of documentation thereof, for instance, a passport, driver's license, or other ID.

After the keeper of the electoral register has ticked off your name in the electoral register, you will be handed one ballot paper for the local election and one ballot paper for the regional election. If you only wish to use one of the ballot papers handed to you, you can either return the unused ballot paper to the appointed elector, who shall register the ballot paper as returned, or you can vote blank, i.e. put the unmarked ballot paper in the ballot box.

In the voting booth

Voting takes place in the voting booth, which only the voter is allowed to enter, unless the voter is in need of assistance.

On the ballot paper, you shall enter a cross against a list designation or the name of a candidate that you wish to vote for. If you have crossed the ballot paper off incorrectly, or the ballot paper has become invalid, e.g. if it has been torn by accident, you can have your ballot paper substituted by asking an appointed elector or polling supervisor. Substitution cannot take place once the ballot paper has been put in the ballot box.

Once you have cast your vote, you have to fold the ballot paper so that no one can see how you have voted. Next, you have to put the ballot paper in the designated ballot box under the supervision of an appointed elector.

Voting by post begins 6 weeks before the election, and ends the last Friday before the election.

Remember to bring a valid ID. Voting in advance in Denmark is referred to as "at brevstemme".

Advance voting can also take place at any Danish diplomatic representation abroad (embassies and consulates) from three months before election day, and from three weeks before election day also in hospitals for hospitalised voters, at care homes and sheltered housing, etc., in prisons, etc. for detainees, and at home upon application for voters who on account of illness or disability are unable to turn up at a polling station on election day.

If you have voted in advance, you cannot vote on election day.

Where can I vote in advance in the municipality of Aarhus?

For the local and regional elections in 2021, you could vote in advance at the following locations. For the elections in 2025, there might be some changes.

• Dokk1
• Åby library
• Viby library
• Risskov library
• Hasle library
• Højbjerg library

Citizens eligible to vote in Denmark have a democratic right to vote but are not obligated to do so. Therefore, it is up to the individual member of society whether he or she wishes to exercise the right to vote and thus conduct influence.

Democracy is based on joint decisions. When you use your right to vote, you take responsibility for society and your fellow human beings.

The City Council of the City of Aarhus (Aarhus Byråd)

When you vote for the local (municipal) elections you influence which candidates will take a seat in the City Council in the City of Aarhus (Aarhus Kommune). The City Council, which is the municipality's highest authority, consists of 31 council members. 

The City Council handles decisions affecting the municipality regarding e.g. schools, culture, daycare, youth centres, care for the elderly, nursing homes, maintaining local roads, water supply, heating, wastewater, and urban development - everything that has to do with your everyday life in Aarhus. 

The Regional Council (Regionsrådet) 

Denmark is divided into five regions. Each region is headed by a regional council. As a citizen in the municipality of Aarhus, you can vote for the elections of the regional council in the Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland).

The regional councils in the five regions of Denmark decide upon issues such as healthcare (hospitals etc.). psychiatry, social services, and regional development. 

The regional councils each consist of 41 members. 

Your polling station is located near your home address. Use the link below to find your polling station. Type in the name of your street "vejnavn" and house number "husnummer" and press "Find".

If you have lost your poll card (valgkort) or if you have never received it, you can have a new poll card issued at your designated polling station. You must bring a valid ID for instance your passport or driver's license. If you're in debt whether you are entitled to vote or not, you can contact Citizen Service (Borgerservice) at 89 40 22 22.

If you have received a poll card that isn't yours by mistake, please put it in the nearest Postnord postbox. 

You can apply to vote from home if you are prevented from leaving your house due to illness or restricted mobility.

Call Citizen Service (Borgerservice), 89 40 92 13 to register to vote from home.

Find out more about the electoral system in Denmark and the local and regional government elections on the website of the Ministry of the Interior and Health.

The official language at polling stations is Danish. You can therefore not be sure that the volunteers at the polling stations can help you in other languages. If you have questions and do not speak Danish, please go to the information desk at your polling station.