Roles and responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities for conducting elections are divided into a clear hierarchy. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has the chief responsibility for the electoral system and regulations in Norway, while the Norwegian Directorate of Elections has operational responsibility at the national level. Locally, the electoral committees in the municipalities, as well as the county and district electoral committees in the county municipalities, are responsible for conducting elections in their respective electoral districts.  

Municipalities' Responsibility 

Municipalities are the level of government closest to the voters and are responsible for the practical preparation and administration of elections in their municipality.  

Municipal electoral committees shall, among other things: 

• Process political parties' list proposals for municipal council elections.  

• Recruit election staff and appoint a leader and deputy leader for each polling station to manage voting and counting.  

• Order the equipment needed to conduct the election.  

• Find suitable premises for advance voting and election day.  

• Conduct the voting process and count the votes cast.  

• Perform election settlements for municipal council elections, which involves seat allocation and candidate determination before the new municipal council.  

• Provide guidance to voters regarding rights, deadlines, and practical execution.  

Municipal Council’s Approval of the Election 

The newly elected municipal council has overall responsibility for approving the municipal council election in its municipality. The municipal council considers the election settlement and decides whether the election is valid and whether the elected representatives have the right to take office.  

County Municipalities' Responsibility 

The county municipality is responsible for preparing and conducting county council elections and parliamentary elections in its area. The county council elects a county electoral committee for county council elections and a district electoral committee for parliamentary elections.  

Responsibilities of the County and District Electoral Committees 

The county electoral committee (for county council elections) and the district electoral committee (for parliamentary elections) essentially have the same responsibilities for their respective elections. They shall:  

• Process political parties' list proposals.  

• Verify the municipalities' vote counts.  

• Perform the election settlement, including seat allocation and candidate determination.  

County Council Approval of the Election 

The newly elected county council has overall responsibility for approving the county council election in its county municipality. The county council considers the election settlement from the county electoral committee and decides whether the election is valid and whether the elected representatives have the right to take office.  

State Roles and Responsibilities 

The Norwegian Directorate of Elections 

The Norwegian Directorate of Elections has operational responsibility at the national level for preparing and conducting parliamentary, municipal council, and county council elections, as well as direct elections to municipal district committees. The directorate also assists the Sámi Parliament and Longyearbyen Community Council with their elections.  

The directorate's role is to guide municipalities and county municipalities on regulations, systems, and routines, in addition to managing overall voter information regarding when, where, and how to vote. The directorate also operates and develops the central electronic election systems.  

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development (KDD) 

The ministry has the chief responsibility for the electoral system, electoral regulations, and general conditions for elections in Norway. KDD holds agency governance responsibility for the Norwegian Electoral Directorate.  

The National Electoral Committee 

The National Electoral Committee handles appeals for parliamentary, municipal council, and county council elections. It is an independent state body appointed by the parliament for four years following each parliamentary election.  

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development appoints a secretariat for the National Electoral Committee. The secretariat acts independently in preparing cases for the committee.  

The Parliament 

The parliament has overall responsibility for verifying and approving its own members' credentials and deciding whether a parliamentary election is valid.  

The process is prepared in two steps: 

• The Preparatory Credentials Committee: Elected by the sitting parliament prior to the election. It reviews reports from the electoral districts and the National Electoral Committee, preparing a preliminary recommendation regarding credentials and the execution of the election.  

• The Credentials Committee of the New Parliament: Elected when the new parliament convenes. It takes over the preliminary recommendation, evaluates whether errors or appeals have arisen that could have affected the election result, and delivers its final recommendation before the parliament makes its decision on whether to approve the election.