In this solo episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish explains how Denmark’s local democracy works and why October is election season. He describes the regional variation in public services, taxes, and healthcare, and notes the high voter turnout that results from well‑timed elections. The centerpiece of the campaign is a 28‑day, precisely timed poster‑hanging derby where teams of young volunteers race to place uniform‑style election posters on lampposts, bridges and fences, following strict placement rules. Mellish outlines the fluid Danish party system – 13 national parties plus many local ones that appear and disappear around single‑issue spikes, especially anti‑immigration parties – and discusses how immigration and residency rules affect newcomers, including the right of EU, UK and long‑term non‑EU residents to vote and even run for local office. He shares anecdotes from an English‑language debate aimed at the foreign‑voter bloc in Copenhagen, noting the mixed quality of candidates’ English and the irony of politicians courting a demographic they sometimes oppose. The episode ends with a reminder of the podcast series, the website, and how listeners can book Mellish for talks.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. I travel a lot around Denmark, giving speeches in various cities and towns, and I usually travel on the Danish Train Network, DSB. Danes love to hate DSB, but I kind of like it. The trains are clean, generally on time, and you even get frequent traveler miles for your trips that you can use to buy ice cream or other snacks. And the trains have big windows that you can look out and see this lovely flat country roll by. The name of this podcast is How to Live in Denmark, but Denmark is not a uniform thing. The landscape differs— a few hills in some places, forests in others, water to cross over. And the government differs. While the parliament in Copenhagen decides on big issues like defense and immigration, local authorities are in control of things that really matter to everyday life. Childcare, or eldercare, or job centers, or services for the disabled are different depending on where you live in this little country of 6 million people. Healthcare is regional. You might get shorter waiting times in hospitals in one region, or more varied psychiatric options in another. And the income taxes are higher in some localities than in others. If you move house in Denmark, even if you don't move very far, you may find your paycheck getting bigger or getting smaller. The reason I bring this up now is that it is local election time in Denmark, and October is when the campaign, Swings into gear. Danish elections themselves are usually planned for June or November, when voters have time and aren't away on their many Danish vacations. This helps create high turnout, usually around 70% for local elections, 85% for nationals. Like almost everything else in Denmark, it's well designed. But it's now in October. When the campaign posters begin to go up. Always precisely 28 days before the vote. It's a derby. This year, on October 25th, at precisely noon, the whistle blows and they're off! Teams of poster hangers. Every party wants to put their posters on the very best lampposts and bridges and trees and fences. It's against the law to take down posters once they're hung, so there's a Big rush to get your party's poster up first. So on that October Saturday, you'll see teams of young people rushing about with ladders and hardback posters and zip ties and measuring sticks, because all posters must be at least 1.5 meters below power lines. There are a lot of young people available to do this, Because most Danish parties have a youth wing. There are also a lot of young candidates. You'll sometimes see the candidates themselves putting up posters with their own face on them. Oddly, in a country famous for its design, all Danish election posters are styled pretty much the same. It's somebody's face looking down on you from above, like the Teletubby baby. And then their name, and then the letter and colors that show which party they represent. That's it. No slogans, no promises. What do they want to do when they get in office? Who knows? Apparently it's your job to go look that up. There are currently 13 national parties in Denmark, and a lot more locally. So you generally have to do some background research when you vote in Denmark. Because there are so many parties, it's hard to know who you agree with. Many media outlets offer online questionnaires where you can input your own political beliefs, and it will spit out a candidate and a party that matches them. And those parties are constantly changing. Danish political parties are like spring flowers. They bloom because of one particular issue, like the car tax. There was a whole political party basically dedicated to lowering the car tax. Or when a popular politician leaves a main party and takes her followers with her, creating something new. But then when that politician retires or becomes unpopular, Or when the issue fades in importance, the party goes broke and dies, or merges into some other party. Sometimes a little party disappears because big parties take over its signature issue. Many of the smaller parties that have sprung up have been anti-immigration parties— some might say anti-foreigner. But those attitudes have been adopted By big established parties, including left-wing ones like the Social Democrats. The Social Democrats, the party of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have been part of a coalition that has tightened the requirements for permanent residency again and again. People who move to Denmark never really know how long they're going to have to wait to get their permanent residency, or what they're going to have to do in order to get the right to stay here and build their lives. Even for non-Danes who have achieved permanent residency, the atmosphere can be icy. The new immigration minister, also a Social Democrat, emphasizes that it is the job of newcomers to integrate with the Danes, not the other way around. Ironically, foreigners can vote in Danish elections, at least in local ones. If you're an EU citizen, a UK citizen, or a non-EU citizen who has lived in the municipality for at least 4 consecutive years, you can vote just like the Danes. I recently attended a debate in English in Copenhagen featuring Danish candidates who are going after the foreigner vote, which is about 15% of the voter base in the capital, although only a small percentage of those voters actually turn up. It was not an especially impressive debate. Some of the candidates appeared to be struggling with their English. But the fact it took place at all is ironic— some Danish politicians seeking the foreigner vote, while other Danish politicians try to throw foreigners out. Foreigners can also run for local office in Denmark. You don't have to be a Danish citizen, you just have to have lived in the locality for 4 consecutive years. It's nice to see so many different types of people participate in Danish democracy at the very local level. Young, old, ethnic Danes, immigrants. You'll meet them, too, in shopping centers or train stations, handing out election flyers embossed with their own faces. I remember last election, one lady gave out bonbons with her face on the wrapper, and she won. You'll even see some of their faces on election posters out the windows of the trains that ride through Denmark. Giant faces smiling down on you, hoping for victory. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. This is the latest in our series, The Danish Year. You can simply go to howtoliveindenmark.com and see all the previous episodes. We're posting something every single month about Denmark, things that just happen every single year, even if they are not formal holidays. At howtoliveindenmark.com, you can also buy our books or schedule me, Kay Xander Mellish, for a speech to your group or organization. See you next time. Hej, hej.
