Municipal polls’ advance ballot begins

The advance voting in the municipal elections begins on Wednesday and will be continued two weeks till 8 June, said the Ministry of Justice in a press release.

The period for the advance voting has been increased by one week this year as a precautionary measure against the backdrop of the coronavirus situation in the country.

The municipal elections are scheduled to be held on 13 June.

The advance voting abroad, however, will be held from 2 to 5 June.

There will be a total of 930 general advance polling stations in Finland. 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.

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.

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.

The authority urged the voters to wear a face mask or covering, use hand sanitiser and stay two metres away from others at the polling station.

Election officials will monitor safety at the polling stations and advise voters on how to follow the instructions. Voters may bring their own pen to the polling station if they so wish.

Special measures have been planned to enable voters placed in quarantine or isolation by a doctor or having respiratory symptoms to vote. Voters can contact the central municipal election board of their municipality to ask about these special arrangements.

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 sent 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.

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.