2014 elections

Every citizen of Finland or some other EU member state aged 18 may vote in the elections.

The next elections to the European Parliament will be held in May–June 2014.

In Finland the election day is Sunday 1 June.

Advance voting is done at the end of May.
Finnish citizens living abroad can vote during the advance voting period at a Finnish mission.

On the election day voting starts at 9.00 and ends at 20.00. During advance voting, the polling stations are open during the opening hours of the offices where they are located.

Before the actual election day, it is possible to vote in advance in any locality or country. Typical places for advance voting are post offices, libraries and embassies.

The elections are held in every locality. The candidates are the same all over Finland. A notification of the right to vote is sent to voters at home. The same notification says where the nearest polling station is located. Often the polling stations are set up in local schools.

Disabled people can vote at home or use an assistant to help with voting. The request for voting at home must be made two weeks before advance voting starts.

Before the elections the media will present the candidates. Normally all parties nominate their own candidates. There will be stories about the candidates in news, newspapers and on the Internet. Campaign advertisements showing all the candidates will also be put up along the streets. The same candidates stand for election throughout Finland. So voters may vote for any candidate they want to.

• For more information about the elections to the European Parliament and other elections held in Finland, click www.vaalit.fi

The web site offers information about elections in several languages.