Sweden is one of the world’s oldest democracies, yet voter turnout in several districts in the city of Malmö was very low. Many residents, often with a foreign origin, felt their voices made no difference. Young people in particular saw politics as distant and disconnected from everyday life. The city of Malmö needed to make democracy feel relevant and worth participating in.

Instead of telling people that voting matters, we made them experience it. Malmö Democracity brought democracy into everyday life through hundreds of micro-votes, covering both civic issues and everyday choices such as pizza toppings. By making voting visible, social and immediate, democracy became something people could engage with directly. The campaign reached people where they lived, in their own languages, through local spaces, local voices and social media. Less abstract. More human.

The initiative drove a nationwide debate on the importance of voting and 89% of the target group were positive to the initiative. Voter turnout increased in four out of five priority areas, making the idea a big success. Malmö Democracity helped people feel that their voice matter and that they should act on it.