Storting and Sameting elections, and county and municipal elections are all held every four years. There are elections held every second year, alternating between elections for the Storting and county and municipal elections. In Storting elections, the vast majority of those running for election represent registered parties, as opposed to in county and municipal elections, where local lists are very common. Sameting elections are held at the same time as Storting elections.

The turnout in Storting elections has always been higher than in local elections. In the Storting election 2005 the voter turnout was 77.4 per cent, which was higher than in 2001. However, only three elections after the Second World War have had a lower turnout. Norway also has a lower voter turnout than most other Nordic countries. In the last parliamentary election, voter turnout in Iceland was 87.7 per cent, in Denmark 84.5 per cent and Sweden 80.2 per cent. Only Finland has a lower turnout than Norway, at 66.7 per cent.

Referendums have traditionally had a higher turnout than Storting elections, with a record 89 per cent when Norway voted against EU membership in 1994. The turnout in municipal elections has fallen steadily since the early 1960s, except from slight increases in the elections in 1979 and 2007. In county elections, the turnout has fallen in every election since 1975. The fifth Sameting election in 2005 had a voter turnout of 72.6 per cent.

Female representation in county and municipal elections has increased steadily and peaked in the 2007 election. Both in the municipality councils and the Storting, the female share is now 38 per cent. Sweden is the only European country with a higher female representation in parliament than Norway. The Sameting has a 51 per cent majority of women.