Even though the Norwegian election campaigning has been postponed by the Utøya shootings, I have still managed to vote as the election itself is going normally. Election day is September 12, but they open up for distance voting a fair bit before that.
And this year, they’re also experimenting. 10 municipalities in Norway are offering electronic voting. I happen to live in one of them.
I would have gone to vote on September 12, at my local school – but this is shiny and new… and I just had to try.
Essentially, what they have done is give each Norwegian their own secure (or so they claim) virtual identity with accompanying pin codes. You can apply for study loans, you can check your taxes, you can apply for kindergarten places for your children, and so on, with these virtual identities. And now the citizens in ten municipalities can also vote.
It was remarkably easy. I’m not sure how secure it was, but if I am worried about that, I can still head down to the paper voting on September 12 – testing the electronic system does not negating voting by paper. I can also change my vote as many times as I’d like by September 12.
It is the last cast vote that counts.
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