Right to vote in Åland
In accordance with the Finnish Constitution, every Finnish citizen who has reached the age of 18 has the right to vote in national elections, i.e. parliamentary elections, presidential elections and referendums. In addition, every EU citizen aged 18 or over has the right to vote in European Parliament elections held in Finland and Åland.
Åland has its own legislation governing parliamentary and municipal elections. If you are a Finnish citizen with Åland regional citizenship, you are eligible to vote in parliamentary and municipal elections if you have reached the age of 18 by election day. In municipal elections you must also be a resident of an Åland municipality in order to vote. On the Info Norden page on Åland right of domicile, you can read more about what right of domicile entails and how to apply for it.
Elections in Åland
Regional and municipal elections are held in Åland, and you can also vote in European Parliament elections, Finnish presidential elections and parliamentary elections. You can find out about the special Åland elections in the menu tabs below. Information about national elections and EU elections can be found on the page Right to vote in Finland.
The population of Åland is represented in matters of autonomy by the Parliament of Åland. The Parliament consists of 30 members who are elected for four years at a time. All eligible voters have equal voting rights in elections to the Parliament, where members are elected in direct, proportional and secret elections. You are entitled to vote in elections to the Parliament if you are at least 18 years old on election day and have Åland right of domicile.
You can read more about elections to the Parliament of Åland on the Government of Åland's information page val.ax.
Councillors in Åland’s municipalities are elected for four calendar years at a time through direct, secret and proportional elections. All members of the municipality who are eligible to vote have one vote. You are eligible to vote if you are at least 18 years old on election day, are a resident of an Åland municipality, have Åland right of domicile or have had your domicile in an Åland municipality for a full year prior to election day.
The number of council members to be elected is determined in relation to the municipality's population on the first day of the election year, in accordance with the Municipalities Act for Åland.
You can read more about municipal elections on the Government of Åland's information page val.ax.
Voting in Åland
If you are in Finland or Åland, you can vote either on election day or in advance. All persons who are eligible to vote and whose address is known receive a voting card by post before election day. Your voting card shows which polling station you should vote at and when you can vote in advance. On election day, you can only vote at the polling station specified on your voting card, whereas during the advance voting period you can vote at any public advance polling station. The voting card also states which election or elections are currently taking place. It is not necessary to bring your voting card to the polling station, but you must be able to prove your identity with a valid ID document such as a passport or driving licence.
You must cast your vote in person, but at your request, an election official is obliged under the Election Act to assist you with voting. If you have difficulty marking your ballot paper yourself due to a disability, illness or physical injury, you may engage your own assistant to help you vote. However, the assistant may not be a candidate or a relative of a candidate, i.e. spouse, child, sibling or parent.
For more information on how and where to vote in your home municipality, whether you are eligible to vote, who you can vote for etc., see the Government of Åland's information page val.ax.
Voting abroad
If you are outside Åland during the voting period, you can vote in advance at a general advance polling station outside Åland or by post. For the Åland Parliament and municipal elections, there are designated locations where you can vote in advance.
You can vote at any general advance polling station outside Åland, so you do not need to be resident outside Åland to vote at a general advance polling station. You can find more information on how to vote outside Åland on the webpage How and where do I vote?
More information
On the Info Norden website you can find information on voting rights in the other Nordic countries and who to contact if you have questions.
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.