When a voter in Nordkjosbotn was supposed to vote for the Conservative Balsfjord list, the ballots for the list had not been submitted. – I regret like “f” that I did not ask the election observers where the ballot papers were. I now see that I should have done it, says voter Halvard Karlsen to Nordlys. The head of the electoral board, Gunda Johansen, says they have now corrected it and that the ballot papers are in place. – A human error has occurred. It has been corrected. As soon as it was discovered, they were given ballots. Demands a re-election The Conservative Party in Balsfjord in Troms and Finnmark will demand a re-election in the Nordkjosbotn constituency. This is what the second candidate for the party, Torleif Selsing, says to news. The Norwegian Electoral Directorate informs that a complaint has been received after the ballots for the Conservative Balsfjord list were not presented in Nordkjosbotn. The complaint must be processed by the electoral board in the municipality. – The Ministry of Local Government and District Affairs is the final appeal body, and the Norwegian Electoral Directorate has no role in this appeal process. The handling of the appeal case will determine what consequences the case will have, the directorate writes in an e-mail to NTB. The Norwegian Electoral Directorate has been in contact with Balsfjord municipality after the blunder. – We have been in contact with the municipality after we were informed about this matter, and reminded them that they must ensure that there are ballot papers available for all lists running for election in the municipality, they write in the e-mail Not found correct ballot paper There have also been challenges in Rælingen in Viken. Stine Hjertevik wanted to vote MDG at the polling stations at Rud School, but she could not find any ballot papers for her preferred party. She stepped out of the booth and alerted the election officials. They discovered that someone had put another party’s note in front of their MDGs. Hjertevik got the right party voted for, but still reacts. – I think it’s incredibly rude. I am provoked that people can sink so low, she says to news. news has spoken to the head of the electoral board, Ståle Grøtte, who confirms the story. – It is impossible to know whether this was done deliberately. Someone may have made a mistake, or they may have done it on purpose, he says. He emphasizes that the election officials regularly check the ballot boxes to check that all electoral lists are available, but that they do not do this after each and every voter. news is informed that the election officials at the school in Rælingen discovered two similar cases on Sunday. In other words, someone had put the wrong ballot paper in front of another party’s. – I am satisfied that people are speaking up, so we sorted things out quickly, says Grøtte. Has cut 3 out of 4 polling stations Almost 1.3 million voters have cast advance votes before election day, the Norwegian Electoral Directorate’s latest count shows. It is a record for a municipal and county council election. However, most still want to vote on election day itself, which is well under way. People have started showing up at the various polling stations around the country. While Bodø has nine polling stations where people can vote today, the situation is completely different in the neighboring municipality of Steigen. Earlier this year, the municipal council chose to cut three out of four polling stations. It has caused reactions. Only one polling station This year it is only possible to vote at the town hall in the municipal center Leinesfjord. For many residents, it means a 3-4 mile drive if they are to vote on election day itself. According to Avisa Nordland, there have been a number of reactions to this. Among other things, Henry Selvik told the local newspaper that he fears that fewer elderly people will vote because of this. – I find that very regrettable and very sad, he told the newspaper. Mayor of Steigen, Aase Refsnes says that the reduction in the number of polling stations is not about savings, but about accessibility. – We want to have polling stations that are arranged so that everyone can get in. We do not want to have incidents outside the polling stations, which call into question the conduct of the election. If you want to vote in Steigen municipality today, you must come here to the polling station at the town hall. Photo: photo: Steigen municipality Had to vote in a toilet At the county and municipal elections in 2019, voters in Steigen could, among other things, cast their vote at the Bogen cultural centre. But in a slightly special place. They had to vote for a disabled toilet. There, the ballot papers were placed on a table next to the doe. During election day, however, the ballot papers were moved out of the toilet. – There are such incidents that you do not want during the conduct of an election. We must ensure that we have suitable premises, says Refsnes. To be evaluated In Bodø, Marianne Bakos has just voted at one of nine available polling stations today. For her, it is important to vote on the day itself. – I always vote on election day itself. It’s a special day, so I like to vote then, even though you can vote earlier. Never before have so many advance votes been registered in a county and municipal election. Photo: NTB Although people in Steigen can only vote at the town hall in Leinesfjord, the mayor believes in a high turnout this year as well. At the 2019 election, 68.2 percent of voters in the municipality voted. It was the highest turnout in a municipal and county council election in Steigen in 52 years. – There are probably not as steep fronts this year as at the election two years ago, when we were in the middle of the argument about municipal mergers. But we see that a large part of the citizens have voted in advance. When the municipality cut the number of polling stations, the municipal council in Steigen decided that they should have two-day elections instead. You could then also vote on Sunday, and today. – We have also arranged for broad advance voting in the villages, and have been clear that we want to help everyone who cannot get to the polling station. Aase Refsnes promises that this year’s local elections, and the reduction in the number of polling stations, will be evaluated. – We will of course consider this afterwards. I see both advantages and disadvantages to doing this. It is not written in stone that it will always be like this, but I hope the turnout shows that we have reached more people.
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In Steigen, three out of four polling stations are gone, after residents had to vote in a last election – news Nordland
