In just 3 weeks, on June 13, Finland will hold municipal elections.
The advance voting period for the 2021 municipal elections will begin on Wednesday 26 May and last for two weeks. The final day for advance voting is Tuesday 8 June.
According to the Ministry of Justice, there will be a total of 930 general advance polling stations throughout the country. They are mainly located at town halls, libraries and shopping centres.
Many municipalities will also provide a possibility for advance voting outdoors, for example in tents and other shelters. A possibility for drive-in voting will also be provided in some municipalities.
Abroad, advance voting will be arranged between 2 and 5 June.
There will be more than a hundred advance polling stations abroad, located at Finnish diplomatic or consular missions or their offices in over 70 different countries. Some of the advance polling stations will be open only on certain days during the advance voting period. Eligible voters staying abroad during the elections may also vote by post.
Election day is Sunday 13 June. On election day, voters may only vote at the polling station mentioned on the polling card sent to them before the elections, whereas during the advance voting period, voters may cast their vote at any of the general advance polling stations in Finland or abroad.
How to vote
People who reach the age of 18 years on election day at the latest have the right to vote in the municipal elections in their municipality of residence.
In addition to Finnish citizens, those citizens of EU Member States, Iceland and Norway who have a municipality of residence in Finland are also entitled to vote. Other foreign citizens are entitled to vote if they have had a municipality of residence in Finland for at least two years.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency sends a notice of right to vote (polling card) to all eligible voters. A list of advance polling stations close to the eligible voter’s place of residence and instructions on safe voting during the Covid-19 epidemic are enclosed to the notice.
The notices of right to vote are sent by post. The notice is sent in electronic format to those eligible voters who have activated the Suomi.fi Messages service and given their consent for all official notifications to be sent to them electronically.
Proof of identity
Voters must present some form of official photo ID when voting, for example a passport, an identity card or a driving licence.
The old cardboard driving licence will also be accepted as proof of identity, if the voter can be identified from the photo and the election official can thus reliably verify the voter's identity. Voters who do not have a valid proof of identity can obtain a temporary identity card free of charge from the police for voting purposes.
Election officials may ask voters to briefly remove their face mask to verify their identity.
Information about municipal elections is available through many channels and in several languages
The Electionsfinland.fi website provides information about municipal elections in many languages (Finnish, Swedish, Skolt Sámi, Inari Sámi, North Sámi, and the Finnish and Finland-Swedish Sign Languages, and several most used foreign languages, such as English, Estonian and Russian).
