Kjersti Bjørnstad is originally from Kapp in Østre Toten, but now lives in the municipality of Gjøvik.

She was a local politician in the municipality of Vestre Toten in the period 2007–2015.

From 2015 to 2019, she was a member of the county council in Oppland County and chair of the county committee on industrial, environmental and climate affairs.

Since 2020, she has been a group leader and member of the county executive board of Innlandet County Council.

Since 2019, she has been a group leader and chair of the main committee on cultural, technical and property affairs in Gjøvik.

In terms of formal education, she has qualifications in agronomy and natural resource management and radiography, and has also studied management, economics and organisation.

From 2007 to 2019, she worked for the Norwegian Association of the Disabled (NHF).

She was county leader of the Centre Party in Oppland from 2019 to 2021.

She is currently a member of the central executive committee of the Centre Party (since 2019).