11 municipalities to try out e-voting in 2011

The government has decided that voters in Bodø, Bremanger, Drammen, Hammerfest, Mandal, Radøy, Re, Tynset, Vefsn, Ålesund and a district in Oslo can take part in an electronic voting trial for the municipal and county council elections in 2011.

- Voters in the trial municipalities will be able to vote from home via the Internet in the next local elections, or they will still be able to vote in the traditional way at polling stations if they prefer. They will be able to choose for themselves whether they vote electronically or in the normal way. I hope that as many as possible will vote electronically,” says Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Liv Signe Navarsete.

There are about 200 000 registered voters in the trial municipalities. The municipalities in the trial have been chosen to give a varied and representative selection. Motivation, competence, size, composition of population, geography, communication and infrastructure have been important factors for the assessment.

The 11 trial municipalities will be testing a new central system for the administration of elections, which also features the option of electronic voting. The municipalities will also be helping to develop this solution, together with the ministry.

One county will also be selected to try out the electoral administration system for its county council election.

The new electoral administration system will help to make the election process more efficient in the municipalities, as well as providing better information for voters. It is planned to introduce the new system in all municipalities after the trial in 2011; experience from the trial will be used to further develop the system.

The Internet voting trial will be evaluated by external researchers. Experience of the trial will give the Storting a good basis on which to decide whether to enable voters all over the country to vote electronically and the time frame within which this could be done.

Last September, 56 municipalities were invited to apply to take part in the trial and 35 of them actually did so.

-I would like to see a debate about electronic voting and have therefore set up a blog where relevant information will be published between now and the 2011 elections. Everyone is welcome to contribute opinions, tips or advice,” says Liv Signe Navarsete.

For more information: www.evalg.dep.no

See also www.e-valgbloggen.no e-voting input on Facebook and Twitter.

See recording of the press conference of 21 January 2010 on web TV.

Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development’s press telephone: 22 24 25 00.