How the electoral register works
The electoral register ensures that only those with a right to vote actually vote and that no one can vote more than once.
In Norway, the electoral register used in elections is electronic. The municipalities can therefore 'cross off' voters in the electoral register directly in the electronic election administration system, EVA, by looking up the voter or scanning the voter's polling card.
Safeguards
The electronic electoral register is secured like the rest of EVA. This includes access controls with certificates and logging in via an ID portal, redundant systems, different types of backups, firewalls, and network segmentation.
Procedures in case the electronic electoral register cannot be accessed
The municipalities have manual procedures for conducting elections if the electronic electoral register cannot be accessed, for example if internet access is lost or there is a power outage.
In such circumstances, the municipalities have contingency envelopes for ballot papers that are cross-checked against the electoral register as soon as the electronic electoral register can be accessed available again. The municipalities have received thorough training in managing emergency situations and have access to user support from the Norwegian Directorate of Elections. The conduct of the election will, therefore, proceed as planned should one arise.
Visible in the protocols
If voters who have already been 'crossed off' in the electoral register show up, they are still allowed to submit a vote. However, such votes are put to one side and handled by the electoral committee in the electoral count.