European elections on Sunday 9 June 2024

Elections to the European Parliament, or European elections, will be held in Finland on Sunday 9 June 2024. In the elections, 15 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be elected in Finland for a term of five years. The candidates stand for election in the entire country.

The advance voting period is from 29 May to 4 June 2024 in Finland and from 29 May to 1 June 2024 abroad.

On election day, eligible voters may only vote at the polling station mentioned in the polling card sent to them, whereas advance voting is possible at any of the general advance polling stations.

Right to vote in the European elections

All Finnish citizens who have reached the age of 18 by 9 June 2024 and those EU citizens residing in Finland who have reached the age of 18 by 9 June 2024 and have registered to vote in Finland have the right to vote in the 2024 European elections. A person eligible to vote may only do so in one EU Member State: either in their home country or in their country of residence. The number of eligible voters in the upcoming elections in Finland is around 4.5 million.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will send a polling card informing eligible voters of their right to vote by 16 May 2024.

More than one million voters will receive their polling card via Suomi.fi

Polling cards will be sent either by post or electronically according to the voter’s choice. One in four eligible voters have given their consent for all official messages to be sent to them electronically and will thus receive their polling card via Suomi.fi Messages. Voters may read notices sent to Suomi.fi Messages at Suomi.fi Web Service after identification or using the Suomi.fi mobile application on their device.

Candidates

The constituency electoral committee of Helsinki will confirm the nomination of candidates for the European elections on 10 May 2024, after which the candidates and their candidate numbers can be found in the Information and Result Service of the Ministry of Justice. The candidates stand for election in the entire country.

Proving identity at polling station

Voters must present proof of their identity at the polling station. Official photo IDs, such as passports, driving licences and identity cards issued by the police, are accepted as proof of identity.

Advance voting in Finland and abroad

Eligible voters may vote in advance at any of the general advance polling stations in Finland or abroad.

The addresses and opening hours of the advance polling stations in Finland and abroad are available in the Information and Result Service of the Ministry of Justice.

You can ask about the advance polling stations and voting in the European elections free of charge by calling the Elections Helpline of the Ministry of Justice. The telephone numbers are: 

• 0800 9 4770 (service in Finnish)
• 0800 9 4771 (service in Swedish).
• Voters can also send election-related questions on WhatsApp (050 438 8730).

Persons whose ability to move and function is so limited that they are unable to go to a polling station without unreasonable difficulty may vote in advance in their own home. Those who wish to vote in advance in their home must notify the central municipal election board of their municipality of this by 16.00 on Tuesday 28 May 2024. 

Persons residing or staying abroad for the entire advance voting period and on election day may vote by post from abroad. An eligible voter wishing to vote by post must order the postal voting documents to an address located abroad in advance, cast their vote after receiving the documents, and send the ballot to the central municipal election board of their municipality in Finland. Postal votes must arrive at the correct central municipal election board by 19.00 on Friday 7 June 2024. More detailed instructions are available at www.vaalit.fi/en/postal-voting

Voting on election day 9 June 2024

All polling stations will be open on election day from 9.00 to 20.00. On election day, voters may only vote at the polling station specified in the polling card sent to them before the elections. Voters may also search for their election day polling station by entering their home address in the Polling Station Service of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency at www.aanestyspaikat.fi. The service will open by mid-may.

Calculation of election results

The counting of advance votes will be started on election day while the voting still continues. The preliminary counting of votes cast on election day will be started once the polling stations have closed. Preliminary information about the vote count will be published at 20.00 on election day, when the counting of advance votes is expected to be complete. The preliminary election results will be available during the evening and the following night. 

A recount of votes will be conducted by the constituency electoral committees on Monday 10 June. The constituency electoral committee of Helsinki will confirm the election results for the entire country and issue credentials to the elected MEPs on Wednesday 12 June.

The term of office of the new European Parliament will officially begin on Tuesday 16 July 2024. The newly elected MEPs will then meet in Parliament’s constituent plenary sitting in Strasbourg to elect the President of the European Parliament, 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors.

Inquiries:
Laura Nurminen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 2951 50008, [email protected] 
Elina Rissanen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 2951 50248, [email protected]
Arto Jääskeläinen, Director of Electoral Administration, tel. +358 2951 50128, [email protected]

Information and election results available in the Information and Result Service of the Ministry of Justice

• Advance polling stations and their opening hours
• Candidates and candidate numbers (10 May)
• Number of advance voters (updated every hour, also on weekends) 
• Progress of the preliminary vote count on election day
• Confirmed final results once the recount of votes is complete on Wednesday 12 June

Read more about the European elections and voting at www.electionsfinland.fi 
The Polling Station Service of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency is available at www.aanestyspaikat.fi
Electionsfinland.fi on Facebook www.facebook.com/vaalit.fi  
EU website on the European elections: https://elections.europa.eu/en/ 
European Parliament Press Tool Kit: www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/press-tool-kit