# Election church

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Term for some churches in Norway

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An **election church** ([Norwegian](/source/Norwegian_language): *valgkirke*) is a term used for approximately 300 churches in [Norway](/source/Norway) that were used as polling stations during the elections to the [Norwegian Constituent Assembly](/source/Norwegian_Constituent_Assembly) at Eidsvoll in 1814. This was Norway's first national elections and this assembly is the group that wrote the [Constitution of Norway](/source/Constitution_of_Norway).[1] The churches were used because they were the natural center of public life for most places in the country, and because the [parish](/source/Prestegjeld) ([Norwegian](/source/Norwegian_language): *prestegjeld*) was the basic unit of the electoral system.

Plaque commemorating the 1814 election at [Vang Church](/source/Vang_Church_(Hamar))

The parish priest was the chief official in the local community, and it was usually the parish priest that administered the elections. The elections were essentially indirect elections, in which the people of each parish chose an "elector". A few days later, all the electors in the county met together at a central church in the county. At that meeting, the electors chose the representatives to send to Eidsvoll. In some small towns with only one congregation, the selection took place through direct voting. The first elections took place on a [general day of prayer](/source/Bu%C3%9F-_und_Bettag) declared on Friday, February 25, 1814.[2][3]

Many of these churches have been lost since 1814. Some have burned down, but most of the churches that are gone were torn down and replaced by new churches. About 190 election churches are still standing and are preserved historical sites.[4] On the 200th anniversary of the vote in 2014, the [National Archives](/source/National_Archives_of_Norway) and the [Directorate for Cultural Heritage](/source/Norwegian_Directorate_for_Cultural_Heritage) collaborated to label the churches with [blue plaques](/source/Blue_plaque)[4] and to reprint facsimiles of the documents stating the addresses and authority of these churches.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Lie, Yngve (22 February 2014). ["Valgkirke i 1814"](https://www.auraavis.no/nyheter/valgkirke-i-1814/s/1-37-7187360). *Aura Avis*. Retrieved 25 November 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Glenthøj, Rasmus; Nordhagen Ottosen, Morten. *Experiences of War and Nationality in Denmark and Norway, 1807–1815*. p. 215.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Torgerson, Samuel (January 1918). "Norway's Struggle for Freedom". *Quarterly Journal of the University of North Dakota*: 121.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hagerud_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hagerud_4-1) Hagerud, Trond (2012). ["Vinger kirke, valgkirke for Konge og Fedreland"](http://www.ovrebyen.no/2015/11/569/). *Gamle Øvrebyen vel*. Retrieved 26 November 2018.

v t e Elections and referendums in Norway Parliamentary elections 1814 (Constitution) 1814 (Autumn) 1815 1817 1820 1823 1826 1829 1832 1835 1838 1841 1844 1847 1850 1853 1856 1859 1862 1865 1868 1870 1873 1876 1879 1882 1885 1888 1891 1894 1897 1900 1903 1906 1909 1912 1915 1918 1921 1924 1927 1930 1933 1936 1945 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025 2029 Local elections 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1916 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1945 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Sámi elections 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025 Referendums 1905 (Aug) 1905 (Nov) 1919 1926 1972 1994

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