Model of electoral management

Lovdata, Act on Elections to the Storting, County Councils and Municipal Councils (Election Act) (Lov om valg til Stortinget, fylkesting og kommunestyrer (valgloven)), last amended 2024, accessed 6 October 2025 

[Unofficial translation]

Chapter 4. Electoral bodies

§ 4-1. National Electoral Board

(1) After each general election, the Storting shall appoint a National Electoral Board that shall function for four years from 1 January of the second year after the general election. The National Electoral Board shall handle complaints about the election, cf. § 16-1 letters a to e, g and h. The National Electoral Board shall perform its duties independently and independently of the Storting.

(2) The National Electoral Board shall have five members. The chairperson and two other members shall be judges. Three joint deputies shall be appointed for the members who are judges, and two joint deputies for the other members. The members and deputies may be reappointed.

(3) The following persons may not be appointed to the National Electoral Board: a. members of the Government b. representatives and deputy representatives to the Storting c. members and deputy members of county councils and municipal councils d. state secretaries and political advisors in the ministries and in the Storting.

(4) Members and deputy members of the National Electoral Board who stand for election to the Storting, a county council or a municipal council shall resign from the National Electoral Board.

(5) The Ministry shall appoint a secretariat for the National Electoral Board. The secretariat shall be independent in its work in preparing matters for the National Electoral Board.

(6) The Storting shall determine the remuneration of the members and deputy members of the National Electoral Board.

§ 4-2. Resignation from office as a member or deputy member of the National Electoral Board

(1) The Storting may dismiss a member or deputy member of the National Electoral Board from office when he or she requests it for personal reasons or has grossly violated the duties that accompany the office.

(2) In special cases, the Storting may dismiss one or more members or deputy members from office if it is necessary for the National Electoral Board to be able to carry out its tasks.

(3) A decision to remove a member or deputy member from office shall be made by a simple majority when he or she himself requests to be removed from office. In other cases, the decision shall be made by two-thirds of the votes.

(4) When a member or deputy member of the National Electoral Board dies or resigns, the Storting shall appoint a new member or deputy member for the remainder of the term.

§ 4-3. District electoral board

(1) In parliamentary elections, each electoral district shall have a district electoral board with at least three members. A joint district electoral board may be elected for all electoral districts in the county. The county council itself shall elect the chairman, deputy chairman and other members and deputies of the district electoral board.

(2) In parliamentary elections, the electoral board in the municipality of Oslo shall function as the district electoral board in the Oslo electoral district. Section 10-13, Section 10-14 first, third and fifth paragraphs and Section 10-15 third paragraph do not apply to the conduct of parliamentary elections in the Oslo electoral district.

§ 4-4. County electoral board

For county council elections, each electoral district shall have a county electoral board with at least three members. The county council itself shall elect the county electoral board's chairman, deputy chairman and other members and alternate members. Section 4-5. Electoral board Each municipality shall have an electoral board with at least three members. The municipal council itself shall elect the electoral board's chairman, deputy chairman and other members and alternate members.

See also the official website of the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation: "The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation has the overall responsibility for the conduct of elections and for matters relating to local government and local democracy."

The functions of the National Electoral Committee are limited to the distribution of seats of 19 members at large, issuing credentials to the members returned to the Storting, and dealing with appeals relating to parliamentary elections. As such, it cannot be considered as an EMB.