Ministry of Justice gives instructions on safe voting during COVID-19

The elections website of the Ministry of Justice, Electionsfinland.fi, contains instructions for voters on safe voting in the county elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry has prepared the instructions in cooperation with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

The county elections will be held with the arrangements required by the epidemiological situation. According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, voting is a low-risk activity. If the local health authorities issue stricter instructions on voting arrangements than the Ministry of Justice, these instructions must be followed instead of the Ministry’s instructions.

The Electionsfinland.fi website contains instructions for voters on maintaining health security at the polling stations during COVID-19. It is important to wear a face mask, use hand sanitiser and maintain sufficient physical distance from others at the polling station. Election officials will ensure safety at the polling stations and advise voters on how to follow the instructions.

Special measures have been planned to enable voters having respiratory symptoms, voters exposed to coronavirus and voters placed in quarantine or isolation by a doctor to vote. During the advance voting period, voters should wait until the respiratory symptoms pass or the quarantine or isolation ends before going to vote. Voters who are in quarantine or isolation on election day must call the telephone number given outside the polling station to be able to vote. Voters can also contact the central municipal election board of their municipality to ask about the special arrangements.  

A news item published on the Electionsfinland.fi website describes how voters’ identity will be checked at the polling station. Election officials may ask voters to briefly remove their face mask to verify their identity. There will be a protective screen between the officials and voters at the polling stations.

During the advance voting period, all outdoor polling stations serve the eligible voters of all wellbeing services counties. Voters may freely choose which advance polling station they want to use for voting and when. On election day, however, voters can only vote at the polling station specified in the notice of right to vote sent to them.

Instructions on safe voting during COVID-19
Electionsfinland.fi website of the Ministry of Justice
Central municipal election boards (in Finnish)
​​​​Electionsfinland.fi: Proving identity at polling stations