Our home, our vote, our future

Four years ago, my husband David wrote an article titled My home, my vote, my future. In it, he described what it means to be a foreign resident in Seltjarnarnes. To live here, pay local taxes, use local services, raise a child, take part in the community, and have the right to a voice when the future of the town is decided.

I have thought about that article often in the run-up to the municipal elections on May 16th.

It is easy to speak about community in broad terms. But a community is not built through policy documents alone. It is built in the school where our children learn and grow. In the sports hall, the swimming pool and after-school activities. On walks out to Grótta. In public transport, services for families, support for those who need it, and in all the small everyday things that turn a town into a home.

Seltjarnarnes is our home. Not only the home of those who have lived here the longest. Not only of those who were born here. It is the home of everyone who lives here, takes part, contributes and wants to see the town flourish.

The important truth David remindes us of four years ago, still stands: in municipal elections, nationality is not everything. Residence, participation and connection to the community matter. Nordic citizens who are legally registered as residents in the municipality have the right to vote, and other foreign citizens who have been legally registered in Iceland for three consecutive years before election day also have the right to vote in municipal elections.

That is an important democratic principle.

Because local government is the level of politics closest to our daily lives. We are not voting on distant ideas or abstract systems. We are voting on preschools, primary schools, welfare, planning, sports, culture, finances, services and the character of our town. We are deciding how we want to live together.

I am running with the Social Democratic Alliance - Samfylking, Liberal Reform Party - Viðreisn and independents in Seltjarnarnes because I believe we can make a good town even better. We need responsible financial management, strong infrastructure, thriving schools, vibrant community life and local government that listens.

We also need a town council that understands that our community is more diverse than it once was and that this diversity is a strength, not a problem.

It matters that people feel they belong here. That they are not guests in their own town. That their voice matters, whether they speak Icelandic with an accent, have lived here for three years or thirty, have children in school, or simply enjoy walking around the Nes and knowing that this is their place.

It is also easy to check where you should vote. On the website of Registers Iceland, you can enter your ID number and see whether and where you are registered to vote in the municipal elections on 16 May 2026, including information about your polling station and voting division.

We must never take democracy for granted. It has to be used, nurtured and protected. We do that by going to the polls. We do it by speaking to one another with respect. We do it by voting for people who want to work with residents, not above them.

On Saturday, we vote on the future of Seltjarnarnes. We vote on how our town should develop, how we should set priorities and what kind of community we want to be.

My answer is clear: I want an open, fair, well-run and vibrant Seltjarnarnes. A town where children get a strong foundation, families feel supported, older residents live with security, new residents feel welcome, and everyone has a real opportunity to take part.

Learn about our policy. It is available both in English and Icelandic, so that all residents can learn what we stand for and make an informed choice.

Your vote is not just a mark on a ballot paper. It is a voice in the conversation about our home. It is a contribution to the future. It is a way of saying: I live here. I take part. I care.

Seltjarnarnes is our home. Let’s make it even better, together.

If you have the right to vote, use it!

Here you can read more about your rights to vote.

Karen María

Candidate for the Social Democratic Alliance - Samfylking, Liberal Reform Party - Viðreisn and independents in Seltjarnarnes