Equivalence isregarded as a central concept in contemporary Swedish educationpolicy.  One important aspect in the education policy is todescribe and determine the Swedish schools- assignment tobring up democratic citizens. The concept of equivalence, hence,plays an important role in this policy-making practice. In the1990s equivalence is challenged by another concept: -freedomof choice-. Here some possible outcomes of a changedconceptual framework in the education policy are tried out,regarding the political understanding of a democratic citizenship.Three questions are pulled forth in order to carry out this aim. The challenge of -freedom of choice- on equivalencecontributes to a change in the political understanding of ademocratic citizenship in Swedish education policy. A phenomenonthat occurs in at least three aspects: the political participation(from co-acting to re-acting), the political activity (fromdirecting to voting) and the political role of the citizen insociety (from being a designer to aconsumer).