Frequently asked questions about county elections and municipal elections

1. Who has the right to vote in the 2025 county elections? 

In the 2025 county elections, citizens of Finland, other EU Member States, Iceland and Norway who reside in a wellbeing services county and reach the age of 18 years on election day 13 April 2025 at the latest are entitled to vote. 

In addition, other foreign nationals residing in a wellbeing services county are entitled to vote in the county elections under certain conditions. Further information on the right to vote in county elections is available here.

Residents of Helsinki do not have the right to vote in the county elections, because Helsinki is not a wellbeing services county nor does it belong to any of the counties. The City of Helsinki is responsible for health and social services and rescue services in Helsinki.

2. Who has the right to vote in the 2025 municipal elections? 

In the 2025 municipal elections, citizens of Finland, other EU Member States, Iceland and Norway who reside in the municipality in question and reach the age of 18 years on election day 13 April 2025 at the latest are entitled to vote. 
In addition, foreign nationals residing in the municipality are entitled to vote in the municipal elections under certain conditions. Further information on the right to vote in municipal elections is available here.

3. When will the county elections and the municipal elections be held? 

You can vote either in advance or on election day. 
Election day is Sunday 13 April 2025.
The advance voting period is in Finland from 2 to 8 April 2025 and abroad from 2 to 5 April 2025.

4. What are county elections and municipal elections all about?

County councillors, elected in the country elections to the county councils, decide on the organisation and provision of health and social services and rescue services in the wellbeing services counties. Read more about the wellbeing services counties.

 Municipal councillors, elected in the municipal elections to the municipal councils, decide on the activities and finances of municipalities. Read more about municipalities.

5. Where can I vote? 

You can vote in advance at any advance polling station, also outside of your municipality of residence. More information on the advance polling stations and their opening hours will be available in the Information and Result Service of the Ministry of Justice as of 24 January 2025.

Even though residents of Helsinki will not vote in the county elections, eligible voters residing in municipalities other than Helsinki may cast their vote in the county elections at the general advance polling stations and institutions located in Helsinki.

On election day, you can only vote at the polling station of your voting district. Your election day polling station will be specified on the polling card to be sent to you before the elections. You can also search for your election day polling station based on your home address in the Polling Station Service run by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency starting on 18 March 2025.  

If you have any questions about the elections or voting, you can call the Ministry of Justice's Elections Helpline (0800 9 4770) or send your question on WhatsApp (050 438 8730). 

7. Do I have to vote in the place mentioned on the polling card?

Yes, if you vote on election day. If you choose to vote in advance, you can vote at any advance polling station, also outside of your municipality of residence. The polling card will be sent to you either by post or via Suomi.fi Web Service according to your choice. Read more about the Suomi.fi service at https://www.suomi.fi/viestit. 

8. How can I vote abroad? 

If you are abroad, you can vote in advance. Advance voting will be possible at Finland’s diplomatic and consular missions abroad. Information on the advance polling stations abroad will be available in the Information and Result Service of the Ministry of Justice as of 24 January 2025.

If you reside or stay abroad throughout the advance voting period and on election day, you may also choose to vote by post. Postal voting documents can be ordered to an address located abroad starting on 13 January from the Ministry of Justice at kirjeaanestys.vaalit.fi. 

9. How can I register for at-home voting?

You can register for at-home voting by contacting the central municipal election board of your municipality by 16.00 on 1 April 2025. 

Contact details of central municipal election boards

10. I have moved after 21 February 2025. Where can I vote? 

The election day polling station for the 2025 county elections and municipal elections will be determined based on your address in the Population Information System on 21 February 2025. If you move after 21 February 2025, your election day polling station will be determined in accordance with your previous place of residence. However, you may vote in advance at any of the general advance polling stations in Finland or abroad. 

11. How do I prove my identity at the polling station?

You must prove your identity with a photo ID, such as a passport, driving licence or identity card.
If you do not have any of these documents, you may apply for a temporary identity card for voting purposes free of charge at the nearest police department. A passport photo is required for a temporary identity card. The photo may not be older than six months.

12. Is an expired ID suitable for proving identity at the polling station? 

The basic principle is that the ID presented to an election official must be valid. However, assessing the adequacy of the proof of identity is at the discretion of the election official present at the polling station on a case-by-case basis. If your ID has expired, take it with you to the polling station but bring also your Kela card and any other documents proving your identity.

13. What should I take with me to the polling station?

When you go to the polling station, take some form of official photo ID with you, for example your passport, identity card or driving licence. You do not need to take the polling card with you. This may, however, be useful if you vote abroad or at an institution in Finland.
There will be pens available at the polling station, but you can also bring your own pen if you want.

14. Who can help me at the polling station?

If necessary, you may turn to an election official for assistance and advice.

15. How can I vote in two elections during the same visit?

Voting in two elections during a single visit to a polling station is simple. An election official will give you two ballots, a purple one and a white one. The purple ballot is for the county elections and the white ballot for the municipal elections. Election officials will advise and assist you at the polling station. 

Write the number of the candidate whom you wish to vote for in the county elections clearly on the purple ballot, and the number of the candidate whom you wish to vote for in the municipal elections on the white ballot. You will find the candidate numbers on the lists of candidates. Please note that there will be two separate lists of candidates, one for the county elections and one for the municipal elections. The list of candidates for the county elections will be displayed on a purple background and the list of candidates for the municipal elections on a white background. The candidate numbers in the county elections will have four digits, while the candidate numbers in the municipal elections will have either one, two or three digits.

Please note that if you vote for the same candidate in both elections, your candidate will have a different number in the county elections and in the municipal elections. 

When the votes are being counted, the ballots can be distinguished based on their colour.

16. Can I assist my family member or friend at the polling station?

Yes, you can. A voter whose ability to mark the ballot is essentially weakened may be assisted in casting their vote. The assistant may be either an election official or a person chosen by the voter.

17. Can I bring a small child to the polling station?

The main rule is that each voter goes to the voting booth alone. Eventually, it is up to the election officials present at the polling station to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether an exception can be made to this.

18. Are polling stations accessible?

 The central municipal election boards are responsible for the practical arrangements at the polling stations, including accessibility.

19. What if I don’t remember the number of my candidate?

The lists of candidates will be displayed in the voting booth.

20. Will I get a new ballot if I make a mistake in marking the ballot?

Yes, you will receive a new ballot and the old ballot will be torn in front of an election official.

21. What should I write on the ballot?

Do not write anything else on the ballot than the number of the candidate that you want to vote for. Your ballot may be considered invalid if it contains any other markings than the candidate number. 

See the instructions for writing numbers. The same instructions will also be displayed in the voting booth.

22. What does election secrecy mean?

You will decide yourself if you want to vote at all, and who you vote for. Election secrecy also means that you do not need to tell anyone who you voted for. Because of election secrecy, you will fill in the ballot in the voting booth.