Members to Stortinget are elected based on
party-list proportional representation in
plural member constituencies (). This means that representatives from different
political parties, are elected from each constituency. The constituencies are identical to the 19
counties of Norway. The electorate does not vote for individuals but rather for party lists, with a ranked list of candidates nominated by the party. This means that the person on top of the list will get the seat unless the voter
alters the ballot. Parties may nominate candidates from outside their own constituency, and even Norwegian citizens currently living abroad. The
Sainte-Laguë method is used for allocating parliamentary seats to parties. As a result, the percentage of representatives is roughly equal to the nationwide percentage of votes. Still, a party with a high number of votes in only one constituency can win a seat there even if the nationwide percentage is low. In this election, this happened with the
Coastal Party. Conversely, if a party's initial representation in Stortinget is proportionally less than it share of votes, the party may seat more representatives through
leveling seats (), provided that the nationwide percentage is above the
election threshold (), currently at 4%. In 2001, eight seats were allocated via the leveling system. ==Overview==