The digital voting platform for the referendum on merging Vestre Toten, Østre Toten, and Gjøvik municipalities crashed minutes after opening on Wednesday. Officials confirmed the system became inaccessible shortly after the poll began at 09:00 local time. The issue left residents unable to cast ballots electronically as planned.
The referendum, which asks voters whether they support merging the three municipalities, was scheduled to run for five days. The technical failure forced election organizers to extend the deadline for online votes. Paper ballots remain unaffected and will be counted as scheduled.
Municipal leaders called the crash an unexpected setback but emphasized the vote would proceed with adjusted procedures. The merger, proposed by regional authorities, aims to reduce administrative costs by combining services. Supporters argue it would improve efficiency while opponents warn of reduced local influence.
Local IT teams worked to restore the system, but the cause of the crash has not been disclosed. Authorities have not indicated whether cyberattacks played a role. The incident follows similar technical issues in other Norwegian digital voting trials.
Voters now have until Friday to submit online ballots, while polling stations will operate normally. The final results are expected by next week.
Source: digi.no