General municipal elections shall take place on the third Saturday of May not falling on the Saturday immediately preceding Whitsun.

If a municipal election would otherwise fall on the Saturday immediately preceding Whitsun, the election day shall be expedited by one week.

When voting in municipal elections, there are three types of elections;

Restricted proportional elections:

• The election is limited to candidates on electoral lists and representatives on each list are elected in proportion to the quantity of votes cast for the list. This is most often the case in larger municipalities.

• A voter then selects the list they like best by marking X in a square in front of the letter of the list on the ballot.

Unrestricted elections:

• There is no candidate list in the constituency.

• The election is not limited to declared candidates as all electors are eligible for election with the exception of those legally exempt from the obligation to serve who have in advance declared their refusal to serve.

• Voting at unrestricted elections for municipal councils shall be conducted by a voter writing on the ballot the full name and address of the principal members of the section of the ballot intended for the election of the principal members. On the portion of the bill intended for the election of alternates, he shall write the names of the alternates and their addresses in the order of his choice, so that they may take their seats up to the number to be elected.

Unopposed:

• If only one candidate list has been submitted by the deadline for submitting candidatures the list submitted shall be elected unopposed.

• Then there is no election in the municipality.
  

In municipal elections, voting rights are based on domicile, whereas in other elections citizenship is the primary condition. Voting rights apply in the municipality where a person is registered as domiciled.

Icelandic citizens have the right to vote if they:

• are domiciled in Iceland

• have reached the age of 18 on election day

Nordic nationals have the right to vote if they:

• are domiciled in the municipality

• have reached the age of 18 on election day

Other foreign nationals have the right to vote if they:

• have been domiciled in Iceland for 3 consecutive years prior to election day

• have reached the age of 18 on election day

Icelandic students living abroad:

Icelandic students with domicile in the following Nordic countries may vote in municipal elections:

• Denmark

• Finland

• Faroe Islands

• Greenland

• Norway

• Sweden

The right to vote applies in the municipality in which they last had their registered domicile. The same applies to spouses and children of those who reside with them in the Nordic country.

Attention! For students in the Nordic countries to vote in municipal elections, they must apply to the National Registry at the latest 40 days before polling day. A new application must be submitted before each municipal election with confirmation of study.

To run for municipal elections, you must submit a candidatures to the senior electoral commission of the municipality no later than at 12 noon 36 days before the election date.

Each senior electoral commission advertises where and how they will receive the data that has to be submitted to run.

Data to be submitted:

• A notice, which contains information on the name of the political organisation.

• A candidate's list, and the candidates' signed consent.

  • The list should include their name, domicile, ID number and status or title.

    • Candidates must have legal domicile in the municipality.

  • The candidate lists must contain at least as many names as the number of people who are eligible to be voted in the municipality elections and not more than twice that number.

• Information about the candidatures' agents, and their signed consent.

• Declaration of support (nomination) for the candidature from voters in the municipality.

  • In many municipalities, an electronic nomination will be available.

The minimum number of nomination subscriber is:
a. in a municipality with 101–500 residents, 10 nomination subscribers,
b. in a municipality with 501–2,000 residents, 20 nomination subscribers,
c. in a municipality with 2,001–10,000 residents, 40 nomination subscribers,
d. in a municipality with 10,001–50,000 residents, 80 nomination subscribers,
e. in a municipality with 50,001 and more residents, 160 nomination subscribers.

The maximum number is double the required minimum number.