After the new Norwegian Election Act took effect on May 1, 2024, it became impossible to cast additional personal votes in parliamentary elections. Among the excuses offered was that the old arrangement did not function well. The Norwegian Parliament therefore chose to abolish the system rather than strengthen it – in direct contradiction to the recommendations of the Election Law Commission.
The reality is that party organizations want full control over which individuals are given the opportunity to be elected to the Storting. Being a politician today is about pursuing a career and defending a party organization’s position, rather than electing capable representatives for citizens, which is the underlying principle of representative democracy. The parties are working a complex puzzle and even relocate party members on paper to other electoral districts in order to strengthen the prospects of certain candidacies.
Read more: Overriding parliamentary constituencies reveals a society beyond democratic control
An organization-representative system of governance has major implications compared with a system that balances direct democracy and representative democracy. When organizations monopolize personal selection, the national assembly will be composed of members who represent organizations rather than the people. Since the national assembly is also the legislative body, this will influence the shaping of laws, with a high likelihood that legislation will not reflect citizens’ sense of justice. Given that the composition of public committees is also dominated by the political industry, this may undermine legal certainty.
Norway has a simple electoral system in which parties present lists in electoral districts, meaning that citizens have only this single opportunity to influence the composition of the Storting.
In strong democracies such as New Zealand, however, elections are based on party lists combined with direct personal voting. In such democracies, the population is therefore able to elect representatives they actually want to represent them. These may be strong politicians who have fallen out of favor within their parties and fail to secure top positions on party lists. Such candidates can then avoid having to “paper-relocate” to other electoral districts where a top list position might be more attainable.
This can also open the door to individuals who are not career politicians – a primary qualification in Norway today – but who nonetheless wish to bring their background and life experience into a position of trust on behalf of the voters in their constituency.
The table shows the limited personal-voting options available to the Norwegian public at the ballot box after the new Election Act entered into force on May 1, 2024.
| Stortinget | Fylkestinget | Kommunestyrer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stryke kandidat | Nei | Nei | Nei |
| Ekstra personstemme | Nei | Ja | Ja |
| Oppføre fra annen liste | Nei | Ja | Ja |
| Oppføre kandidater uten liste | Nei | Nei | Nei |
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