Motstemmen står i protokollen.

It is a compound noun:

• mot = against
• stemme = vote / voice

So motstemme means a vote against, an opposing vote, or a dissenting vote.

The ending -n in motstemmen makes it definite singular, so it means the opposing vote or the dissenting vote.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific opposing vote, not just any opposing vote.

• en motstemme = an opposing vote
• motstemmen = the opposing vote

Norwegian uses the definite ending on the noun itself, instead of adding a separate word like the in English.

Yes, stå literally means to stand, but Norwegian often uses it idiomatically for things written in documents, signs, books, records, and so on.

So in a sentence like this, står means something like:

• is written
• is recorded
• appears
• is entered

That is why Motstemmen står i protokollen sounds natural in Norwegian, even though English would not normally say The dissenting vote stands in the minutes.

Here protokollen means the official written record, especially in a formal setting such as:

• meeting minutes
• an official register
• a formal record of decisions

So it does not mean protocol in the everyday English sense of rules or procedure. In this context, it is closer to the minutes or the official record.

Because Norwegian normally uses i for something being inside a written record or document.

So:

• i protokollen = in the minutes / in the record

This is the usual preposition with protokoll when you mean that something is included in the written record.

For the same reason as motstemmen: it refers to a specific record, not just any record.

• i en protokoll = in a record / in some record
• i protokollen = in the record / in the minutes

In real use, this usually means the particular official record everyone already knows about, for example the minutes of that meeting.

The structure is straightforward:

• Motstemmen = subject
• står = verb
• i protokollen = prepositional phrase showing where it is recorded

So the sentence follows normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

Subject + verb + other information

You probably could be understood, but it is less natural.

• er i protokollen sounds more like simple location: is in the record
• står i protokollen is the idiomatic way to say something is written or recorded there

So står is the better and more natural choice.

Yes. In Bokmål, stemme can be treated as a feminine noun, but many feminine nouns can also take common-gender/masculine-style forms.

So you may see:

• en stemme – stemmen
• sometimes ei stemme – stemma

In formal Bokmål, stemmen is very normal. In this sentence, motstemmen is completely standard.

It is mostly used in formal or semi-formal contexts, especially when talking about:

• voting
• meetings
• boards
• committees
• official decisions

A related expression is the verb phrase å stemme imot, which means to vote against.

So:

• Han stemte imot. = He voted against.
• Det kom en motstemme. = There was a dissenting vote / a vote against.

Yes, but if you move something to the front, Norwegian still keeps the finite verb in second position.

For example:

• Motstemmen står i protokollen.
• I protokollen står motstemmen.

The second version is more marked and puts extra focus on i protokollen, but both are grammatical. This is a good example of Norwegian’s V2 word order in main clauses.