ICELAND

V4 Polling Booth

THE CHALLENGE

In mid-October 2024, the country of Iceland called a snap Parliamentary election with the Prime Minister taking the decision to dissolve their coalition Government. As political pundits speculated as to the future direction of the nation, Pakflatt happened to be on a flight to the capital, Reykjavík, to meet the electoral commission.

The commission had kindly reached out to Pakflatt to enquire about the accessible election products we supply. Without hesitation, we accepted their offer to meet the commission and provide a demonstration of our product line. A few days before the trip, the election was announced, and this meeting would ultimately take on a lot more significance.

Upon arriving in Reykjavík, the Pakflatt team were delighted to learn that they would be presenting to a large audience of officials from multiple provinces in Iceland. The primary focus was our patented V4 voting booth. The booth offers 4 compartments for simultaneous voting and takes up a very small footprint. It can also be folded for portability and storage.

Conducting business in a new market can present unforeseen challenges, with unique legislation and social considerations. In Iceland the average height of a male is 182.1cm or 5.97 feet. An important factor in Icelandic elections, is that the polling booth must be completely private, with no visual contact point between citizens while they are casting their vote.

At Pakflatt, we specialise in problem-solving and creating innovation solutions. With the addition of our Curtain System and Visor Extension Panels, we were able to offer a comprehensive solution to solve the issue.

The next challenge; with the election just weeks away, we were tasked with providing a significant volume of V4 voting booths for the city of Reykjavík, in polling stations throughout the city.

THE SOLUTION

With 2024 being one of the busiest years in history, and elections taking place across the globe, the turnaround time was a challenge that we were faced with. With much satisfaction, the order was delivered in time to each district of Reykjavik and made available for polling day.
The Pakflatt team made the decision to visit the country once again on election day, to offer support to polling staff using their new equipment. Despite freezing temperatures and a minor volcanic eruption, we were delighted with the feedback that the election was conducted with zero concern.
Overall, this experience of all parties involved, was overwhelmingly positive. The nuances of working with a new electoral commission can present challenges, but as a company, Pakflatt embraces this on a daily basis, and we work tirelessly to ensure our customers are well informed and supported.
We look forward to cultivating a positive and collaborative relationship with the electoral commission of Iceland as we move forward. In particular, we are grateful to our new colleague Hildur Lilliendahl Viggósdóttir, the project manager for elections in Reykjavík, for the gracious invitation and enthusiasm for this project.