Published: 12 Sep 2011 13:55 GMT+02:00 | Print version
Updated: 12 Sep 2011 16:51 GMT+02:00
One third of all voters in local elections in Norway has changed loyalties and will vote for another party after taking an online test of their views versus those of party candidates.
Many of Norway’s news outlets have been sporting new valgautomater, or vote machines, with many claiming participants were changing parties after taking online tests of their views. Nearly a decade old, the electronic quizzes have become more convincing than ever.
Broadcaster NRK’s e-vote quiz starts by asking which municipality one lives in, and then asks what party one thinks one ought to vote for. It then asks how strongly you agree with political statements on 22 local issues and how important they are.
The results helped many vote online rather than visit public buildings with their election stations. Midnight Saturday marked the end of online voting.
“Most people say they like sitting in peace and calm at home when they vote and for example look up candidate lists from other parties (online),” said Radøy municipality's e-vote overseer, Tove Thomassen, to newspaper Bergens Tidende.
“We are very satisfied that so many have voted electronically,” said Thomassen.
In addition to the e-tests of voter views, three-quarters of all early voting was registered online: 48-year-olds overtook 20-somethings to become the leading demographic to vote from laptops on sofas and office blocks.
Voters could also inspect an interactive, online map showing the state of their municipality’s finances, including scores for healthcare, schools, kindergartens, culture and costs.
Electronic vote counts appeared to temper predictions of political change in the capital, Oslo, and in the old German trading town of Bergen. In cosmopolitan Oslo, a Labour Party decimated this summer by a gunman’s murderous attack on its youth wing was seen benefiting from a wave of sympathy able to replace the well-ensconced and poll-leading Conservative Party candidate.
An electronic poll on Sunday by newspaper Aftenposten gave the coalition’s Socialist Left party 5.2 percent of the vote. The party’s political victories included edging government away from drilling for oil in the pristine Lofoten Islands, the right to daycare and a wealth tax on the country’s rich which in 2011 saw the wealthy taxed for the first time on their assets as well as their taxable income.
Party leader Kristin Halvorsen had served as finance minister in coalition with Labour and the agrarian Centre party.
|
Software Developer 4
Location: Trondheim
|
|
Software Developer 4
Location: Oslo
|
|
Software Developer 4
Location: Lysaker
|
|
CNO-Business Process Consultant
Location: Oslo
|
|
Strategic Sourcing Manager
Location: Norge
|
|
Engineering Development Program- Norway
Location: Stavanger
|
|
Lead Engineer - XMT Engineering
Location: Ă…gotnes
|
|
Subsea Controls Engineer
Location: Bærums Verk
|
|
Business Enterprise Principal Consultant (Norway)
Location: Norge
|
|
Senior Engineer HVAC
Location: Trondheim
|
|
Senior Process Engineer
Location: Trondheim
|
|
Senior Subsea Engineers
Location: Ă…gotnes
|
|
Scrum Manager
Location: Sandnes
|
|
Subsea Installation Engineers
Location: Stavanger
|
|
Senior Corrosion Engineer
Location: Stavanger
|
|
Senior Engineer - Welding and Materials
Location: Stavanger
|
|
Project Accountant
Location: Stavanger
|
|
Product Sales Manager, Sweden Combisafe International AB
Location: Asker
|
|
Senior Project Manager
Location: Asker
|
|
Sales & Marketing Programme Manager
Location: Norge
|
|
|
|
|
More news from Sweden at thelocal.se
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
More news from France at thelocal.fr

Opening Statement at Conference on Protection of Civilians under International Humanitarian Law (Thu, 23 May)
"We all agree on one thing, however, that we have to increase our efforts to protect the civilians affected by armed conflicts. We must respect and uphold international humanitarian law and define what it means in practice", said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Espen Barth Eide, at the opening of the conference.
Norway signs memorandum of understanding with Syrian opposition (Wed, 22 May)
Today Norway signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces on continued cooperation. “Having a strong and unified opposition is crucial if we are to find a political solution to the brutal Syrian civil war,” said State Secretary Torgeir Larsen.
Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Europe: Strengthening the Impact of the Council of Europe’s Activities (Thu, 16 May)
- We meet at a very important moment. As we here from the Secretary General the founding principles of this organisation, democracy, human rights and the rule of law are again under pressure in Europa. We have to take that very seriously, said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, in his statement at the Council of Europe's meeting.
Norway increases support for prevention of violence against women and children in Bolivia (Thu, 16 May)
“More than 70 % of women and children in Bolivia are victims of violence, most of them in their own homes. Norway is stepping up its efforts to respond to this extensive problem,” said State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arvinn Gadgil.
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.