Candidate eligibility and nomination of candidates
A person is eligible to stand as a candidate in county elections if the person
- resides in the wellbeing services county in question (meaning that their municipality of residence belongs to the wellbeing services county in question),
- has the right to vote in the county elections in a wellbeing services county, and
- is not without legal capacity.
Provisions on the restrictions on candidate eligibility are laid down in section 77 of the Act on Wellbeing Services Counties. Under the Act, the following persons are not eligible for election to a county council:
- central government officials who perform supervisory tasks directly concerning a wellbeing services county;
- persons employed by a wellbeing services county who work in a senior position within an area of responsibility of the county executive or a board or in an unincorporated county enterprise, or in another comparable position of responsibility;
- persons employed by a corporate entity or foundation under the control of a wellbeing services county who, in terms of their position, are comparable to persons employed by a wellbeing services county as referred to in paragraph 2;
- persons employed by a joint county authority for wellbeing services, of which the wellbeing services county in question is a member, who, in terms of their position, are comparable to persons employed by a wellbeing services county as referred to in paragraph 2.
- However, a person in an employment relationship referred to above is eligible for election as a county councillor, if the employment relationship ends before the county councillors’ term begins.
Read more about candidate eligibility in county elections:
Circular of the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities of 22 September 2021: Eligibility for election to a county council (available in Finnish)
Determination of candidate eligibility
As a rule, the wellbeing services county in which a person is eligible to stand as a candidate is determined following the same schedule as the wellbeing services county in which the person is entitled to vote, in other words in accordance with the information contained in the Population Information System on the 51st day before election day. However, if a person moves to another municipality after that date so that their new municipality of residence is located in another wellbeing services county, the person is eligible to stand as a candidate in that wellbeing services county.
Here is an example: On 21 February 2025, a candidate's municipality of residence is municipality A, which belongs to wellbeing services county B. The following week, however, the candidate moves to municipality C, which belongs to wellbeing services county D. The candidate application concerning the person is submitted to the county election board of wellbeing services county D on 4 March. The county election board confirms the nomination of candidates on 13 March. Thus, the person has the right to vote in wellbeing services county B, but they stand as a candidate in wellbeing services county D.
The legislation contains no explicit provisions concerning the date on which a person’s candidate eligibility is determined, but in practice the question of a candidate's municipality of residence and wellbeing services county must be clear on the 32nd day before election day, when the county election boards deal with any supplements to candidate applications delivered to the board and make decisions on them. Decisions relating to a candidate’s municipality of residence are made on the basis of the information contained in the Population Information System.
Nomination of candidates in county elections
In county elections, candidates may be nominated by
- political parties entered in the party register and
- constituency associations established by eligible voters.
Each political party has the right to nominate a number of candidates equalling the number of county councillors to be elected in the wellbeing services county multiplied by 1.25. For example, if the number of county councillors to be elected in the wellbeing services county is 59, a party may nominate at most 73 candidates. Political parties may form electoral alliances. However, the maximum number of candidates that an electoral alliance has the right to nominate is the same as the maximum number of candidates that a single party can nominate.
The candidates of a political party are nominated by a party association operating in the wellbeing services county in question that the central organisation of the political party has designated to the task and reported to the county election board.
A constituency association for the nomination of one candidate may be established by a minimum of 50 people entitled to vote in the wellbeing services county in question. Constituency associations may form joint lists with a maximum number of candidates equalling the number of county councillors to be elected in the wellbeing services county multiplied by 1.25.
Submission of candidate applications
Political parties and constituency associations must submit their list of candidates (candidate application) to the county election board of the wellbeing services county concerned by 16.00 on the 40th day before election day at the latest. The same deadline applies to submitting notifications of electoral alliances and joint lists to the county election board. On the 48th day before election day at the latest, each county election board holds a meeting where it draws up a public notice indicating to whom, on which dates and times, and where candidate applications and notifications will be received.
When making their candidate applications, political parties and constituency associations may use the forms drawn up in accordance with the model confirmed by the Ministry of Justice. The candidate nomination forms are available in PDF format in Finnish and Swedish.
Compilation of a master list of candidates
The county election board scrutinises the lists of candidates, especially to establish whether the candidates are eligible, and confirms the nomination of candidates on the 31st day before election day. The county election board then compiles a master list of candidates, in which the candidates of all political parties, constituency associations and joint lists are listed in an order drawn by lot. The master list includes the candidate number (beginning with number 2002), name, title, profession or position, and municipality of residence of each candidate. The master list of candidates is displayed in the voting booths, for example.