After the Swedish general election in 2018, a new change in the electoral law is implemented; ballot stands are to be shielded, aiming to strengthen electoral secrecy. During the 2022 election, long voting queues are observed. Quantitative research suggests that these queues are caused by shielded ballot stands. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the characteristics of successful vote reception, from election workers’ perspective. By conducting a ‘method of difference design’ with two groups of electoral districts in Uppsala, which are all affected by queues, the study shows differences in vote reception success. Election workers from eight different electoral districts are interviewed. The results confirm the idea that shielded ballot stands creates a bottleneck effect. The results also show that ‘active queue management’ is a successful measure. However, hypotheses related to group dynamics among election workers, overstaffing, communication difficulties with voters and voters with previous queue experience do not find support. To confirm or reject the latter two hypotheses with certainty, further research is needed. The contribution of this study is a confirmation of the cause of experienced queues as well as practical advice regarding how to strengthen successful vote reception in future elections.