Voting register

For each election, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency establishes a register of eligible voters (a voting register) based on the Population Information System no later than on the Wednesday of the week six weeks before the day of the election. Information on each person with the right to vote is entered in the register as it appears in the Population Information System on Friday at 12 midnight seven weeks prior to the day of the election.

The voting register is part of the electoral data system that, for example, contains information regarding the polling stations in use on election day, as well as advance polling stations and dates in Finland or abroad. During the advance polling period, the right to vote of those voting in advance is checked from the voting register, and information whether, when and where the person has used their right to vote in advance is entered in the register. For the actual day of the election, the polling stations receive lists of voters detailing those who have not voted in advance. The local register offices, advance polling stations and the municipalities are linked to the electoral data system.  

You can inspect the correctness of your information entered in the voting register at local register offices from the Monday that is six weeks prior to the day of the election onwards. You can submit a written claim for rectification of the voting register to the local register office by 4 pm on the Friday that is two weeks prior to election day. The voting register enters into force at 12 am on the Tuesday that is 12 days prior to election day. 

The Population Information System is also used to check the details of candidates and to establish the register of candidates.

For parliamentary elections Finland is divided into 15 electoral districts. The number of MPs elected from each electoral district depends, with the exception of Åland, on the number of Finnish citizens living in the district at the end of the previous September, as evidenced by the Population Information System. The number of MPs elected from Åland is always one.

The number of municipal councillors to be elected in the municipal elections depends on the number of inhabitants in the municipality shown in the Population Information System at the end of May on the election year.