Iceland
Parliamentary Election 30 November 2024
Winter Weather
Ahead of Iceland’s 2024 snap parliamentary election on 30 November, the weather forecast indicated heavy blizzard conditions for the Eastern part of the island (Zubenko, I. 2024). On election day the weather conditions were better than expected, however there were some yellow warnings in effect in the Northeast (Lilja Ragnarsdóttir, S. 2024)
Impact on electoral process
Ahead of polling, the National Electoral Commission and the Icelandic Met Office were in close contact to ensure contingency plans and the possibility of postponing the vote in the case of severe weather (Tómas, R. 2024). Voting on election day was not significantly disrupted by the weather, as the Icelandic Road Administration worked well with the Election committees to ensure accessibility by clearing snow from the roads following reports of worsened road conditions in rural areas and impassable mountain roads. (Ólafsson, Á. 2024; Lilja Ragnarsdóttir, S. 2024).
However, the transportation of results from polling stations in eastern Iceland was complicated by the blizzard. To ensure that the materials were delivered, a Coast Guard helicopter was used to transport election materials from Höfn, and rescue teams took part in transportation from Djúpivogur and Seyðisfjörður (Hannesdóttir, B. 2024; Gunnarsson, G. 2024).
Results from northern and eastern regions saw a delay in tallying following the blizzard, as the ballot boxes were delivered to the counting stations on roads affected by the heavy snowfall (Ólafsson, Á. 2024a; Baha, C. 2024).
Bibliography
Baha, C. ‘Iceland's Social Democrats lead as storm delays count’, 01 December 2024, baha breaking news, <https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iceland%27s-Social-Democrats-lead-as-storm-delays-count/63158853> accessed 05 December 2024
Gunnarsson, G., ‘Atkvæði Austfirðinga farin í loftið – Myndir’ [The votes of the people of East Iceland have been aired - Photos], 01 December 2024, Austur Frétt, <https://austurfrett.is/frettir/atkvaedhi-austfirdhinga-farin-i-loftidh> accessed 05 December 2024
Hannesdóttir, B., ‘Þyrlan sækir kjörgögn á Höfn’ [The helicopter picks up election documents in Höfn], 01 December 2024, Morgunbladid, <https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2024/12/01/thyrlan_saekir_kjorgogn_a_hofn/> accessed 05 December 2024
Lilja Ragnarsdóttir, S., ‘Nýta allan mannskap og tæki á Austurlandi’ [Utilising all staff and equipment in East Iceland], 30 November 2024, Morgunbladid, <https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2024/11/30/nyta_allan_mannskap_og_taeki_a_austurlandi/> accessed 05 December 2024
Ólafsson, Á., ‘Kosningarnar ganga betur fyrir austan og norðan en búist var við’ [Elections are going better in the east and north than expected], 30 November 2024, RÚV, <https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2024-11-30-kosningarnar-ganga-betur-fyrir-austan-og-nordan-en-buist-var-vid-429398> accessed 05 December 2024
Ólafsson, Á., ‘Kjörfundum lýkur á tilsettum tíma og kjörgögnum komið til skila um allt land’ [Polling ends on time and election documents are delivered throughout the country], 30 November 2024, RÚV, <https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2024-11-30-kjorfundum-lykur-a-tilsettum-tima-og-kjorgognum-komid-til-skila-um-allt-land-429462> accessed 05 December 2024
Tómas, R., ‘North and East Iceland Face Storms on Election Day’, 27 November 2024, Icelandic Review, <https://www.icelandreview.com/news/north-and-east-iceland-face-storms-on-election-day/> accessed 05 December 2024
Zubenko, I., ‘National Electoral Commission Meets Over Blizzard Forecast for Election Day’, 26 November 2024, Reykjavik Grapevine, <https://grapevine.is/news/2024/11/26/national-electoral-commission-meets-over-blizzard-forecast-for-election-day/> accessed 05 December 2024
Winter Weather
