Use your voice and vote

Helsinki heads to the polls on 13 June to vote for representatives to the municipal council. City councillors decide important issues that affect all Helsinki residents.

In addition to Finnish, EU and Nordic citizens, adult citizens of other countries who have been registered residents of Finland for two years or longer are eligible to vote.

If you are an eligible voter, a notification card informing you of your right to vote should have been sent to your home in May. Advance voting is possible until 8 June at one of the advance voting stations listed in your notification card. You can either vote in advance or vote on the official 13 June election day. Bring along an official photo ID, as you will need to prove your identity before casting your vote.

According to Statistics Finland, 59.4 per cent of eligible voters with a Finnish background voted in the last municipal elections. This voting percentage fell to 24.9 among eligible voters with a foreign background.

Josefina Sipinen of Tampere University studies political engagement in Finland’s international communities. She says voting brings many benefits to minority groups.

“You can gain on an individual level by having an effect on municipal issues. Also, voting supports the candidate or party that you feel promotes changes that are important to you,” she says.

Before you cast your vote, you may wish to get to know the platforms and principles of Finland’s different political parties and their candidates. Several media outlets provide coverage in other languages and election compasses to help voters determine which candidates’ views align most closely with their own.

“By voting for someone who represents your community, you can help make municipal decision-making bodies more diverse. This works on a symbolic level, too, as it effects how mainstream society understands Finland’s changing demographics. In addition, if a group turns out to vote in increased numbers, political parties tend to give it more clout in future elections,” Sipinen says.

Finland’s Ministry of Justice has put many precautions in place to make sure that everyone can vote safely. Make a difference in local politics this year and vote!

See www.vaalit.fi for municipal election info in close to 30 languages.