Right to vote in Finland

If you are a citizen of another Nordic country, you can, under certain conditions, be entitled to vote in the Finnish European Parliament elections, council elections, municipal elections and advisory referendums in the wellbeing services counties. Only Finnish citizens are entitled to vote in Finnish parliamentary and presidential elections and national referendums. Voting is a fundamental right of every adult citizen, but you do not have to exercise it.

Parliamentary, presidential and European Parliament elections are governed by the same rules in Finland and Åland. If you are interested in entitlement to vote in Åland's provincial or municipal elections, read more on the page Right to vote in Åland.

Members of Parliament are elected every four years by direct, proportional and secret ballot. Election day is the third Sunday in April of the election year, subject to where Easter falls. 

All Finnish citizens aged 18 or over on election day are entitled to vote in parliamentary elections, regardless of their place of residence. All Finnish citizens living abroad can also vote in parliamentary elections.

Any person entitled to vote who is not legally incompetent can stand for election, with the exception of certain senior civil servants and persons holding military office. 

Read more about parliamentary elections on Vaalit.fi.

The President of the Republic is elected for a six-year term of office by direct election, if necessary in two stages. The election day is the fourth Sunday in January of the election year. 

Any Finnish citizen, regardless of place of residence, who has reached the age of 18 by the first election day is entitled to vote in a presidential election.

The President of the Republic must be a native Finnish citizen. 

Read more about presidential elections on Vaalit.fi.

County and municipal elections are held simultaneously every four years. In county elections, voters elect representatives to the county councils. County councils decide on the organisation and provision of health and social services and rescue services in wellbeing services counties. County elections are not held in the City of Helsinki. In municipal elections, voters elect representatives to the municipal councils. Municipal councils decide on the activities and finances of municipalities. 

The right to vote in council and municipal elections is determined in the same way. Citizens of Finland, other European Union member states, Iceland and Norway are entitled to vote in Finnish municipal elections if they reach the age of 18 no later than on the election day and their municipality of residence was the municipality in question on the 51st day before the election day.

Citizens of other states are also entitled to vote if they reach the age of 18 no later than on the election day and their municipality of residence was the municipality in question on the 51st day before the election day and their municipality of residence at that time has been in Finland for at least two years without interruption.

Persons employed by the European Union or an international organisation operating in Finland are also entitled to vote if they reach the age of 18 no later than on the election day and their municipality of residence was the municipality in question on the 51st day before the election day. A further requirement that their data have been entered in the Population Information System at their request and that they have notified the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in writing that they wish to exercise their right to vote in the municipal elections no later than the 52nd day before the election day.

A person is eligible to stand for election in county elections if he or she lives in the wellbeing services county concerned, is entitled to vote in county elections and has not been declared legally incompetent. Correspondingly, a person is eligible to stand for election in municipal elections if he or she lives in the municipality concerned, is entitled to vote in municipal elections and has not been declared legally incompetent. Certain state officials and persons employed by a wellbeing services county, joint county authority for wellbeing services or municipality cannot stand as candidates in regional or municipal elections. 

Read more about county and municipal elections on the Vaalit.fi website and on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

Voting rights in county elections are determined in the same way as in municipal elections. Read more on Vaalit.fi.

To be eligible to stand for election in a county election, you must reside in the wellbeing services county concerned, be entitled to vote in county elections and not have been declared legally incompetent. Certain state officials and persons employed by the wellbeing services county or joint county authority for wellbeing services are not eligible to stand as candidates in county elections. Read more on Vaalit.fi.

EU citizens elect the members of the European Parliament in direct elections held in all Member States every five years.

In European Parliament elections held in Finland, every Finnish citizen who has reached the age of 18 no later than on the election day is entitled to vote, regardless of their place of residence.

Voting is also open to citizens of any other member state of the European Union who have reached the age of 18 no later than on the election day and who have their place of residence in Finland on the 51st day before the election day or who are employed by the European Union or an international organisation operating in Finland or are a family member of such a person and live in Finland. However, the right to vote requires that the person has not lost the right to stand as a candidate in their home country and that they are registered to vote in Finland. Registration must be made no later than the 80th day before the election day with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

If you are entitled to vote, you may vote in the same elections to the European Parliament in one EU member state only: either your home country or the country where you live.

A Finnish citizen who has registered to vote in the elections to the European Parliament in another EU member state in the time limit laid down is not entitled to vote in the elections to the European Parliament in Finland.

Every Finnish citizen who is entitled to vote in elections and who is not legally incompetent and every citizen of a Member State of the European Union who is entitled to vote, who has registered and been entered in the electoral register in Finland and who has not lost the right to stand as a candidate in elections in his or her home country is eligible to stand as a candidate in the European Parliament elections.

Read more about European Parliament elections in Finland on Vaalit.fi and on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

National or regional referendums may be held in Finland, such as advisory referendums in a wellbeing services county or municipality. This is not common, however.

A state advisory referendum can be held in conjunction with or separately from state elections. If a referendum is held in connection with a state election, the register of voters established for the election is used. If a referendum is held separately from elections, the right to vote is determined in the same way as in parliamentary elections. 

If a referendum is held separately from elections, the right to vote is determined in the same way as in parliamentary elections.

Read more about referendums on Vaalit.fi. You can also read more about county referendums on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

If you are in Finland, you can vote either on election day or in advance. If you are abroad and are entitled to vote, you can vote either in advance, by postal vote or on board a Finnish vessel.

If a voter's ability to mark the ballot paper is substantially impaired, he or she may be aided by an assistant. For certain special groups, voting is also possible at home or in an institution.

Read more about instructions for voters on the Vaalit.fi website and on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.