Sametingsvalg på sørnorsk. Valgkamp i en utfordrende valgkrets

Abstract

During election campaigns for the Sámediggi – the representative organ of the Indigenous Sámi – candidates in the South Norway Constituency face special challenges: How do they communicate with potential voters residing within a large group of non-voters and spread over a large area, when the constituency’s news media barely cover the election? The chapter looks at different means of reaching voters under such challenging conditions. The candidates prioritized getting traditional media coverage to a very little degree. Social media were seen as important and used actively, particularly Facebook, although only a few parties had developed more advanced strategies for utilization of this tool. Some parties created and implemented a special visual identity to communicate their values and attract attention, and one of the constituency’s parties achieved extra media attention because of their style. The existence of physical spaces for Indigenous politics in the constituency’s central urban area was of importance, not least because the 2017 election featured a special project to make the Indigenous election visible, which should be possible to replicate elsewhere. The utilization of organizational and social networks was important and gave a special advantage to established party organizations with registered members. Targeted campaign mailing was of key importance to counterbalance the problematic aspects of the constituency.