European elections 2024 – use your voice!
In Finland, advance voting for the 2024 elections to the European Parliament, or European elections, will take place from 29 May to 4 June 2024, and election day voting will take place on 9 June 2024. What does the European Parliament do, and why should you vote in the elections?
Every five years, people across Europe go to the ballot boxes to choose their representatives in the European Parliament. This is an important process. The European Parliament is the world’s most influential supranational parliament, and it also represents Vantaa residents like you.
In the elections, a total of 720 new Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be selected to represent the citizens of the European Union. Of these MEPs, 15 will come from Finland.
Did you know? According to a report produced by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, 45 per cent of local decisions can be traced back to the EU. Typical decisions that are directly related to EU directives include procurement and land use planning decisions.
What does the European Parliament do?
The European Parliament adopts new EU legislation and agreements that apply to all EU countries. It also decides on the EU budget.
Examples of how EU legislation and agreements affect our day-to-day lives:
- Making our food safer: The EU has some of the world’s highest food safety standards.
- Protecting our environment in a variety of ways: Products such as disposable plastic tableware have been replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives across Europe.
- Making it easy to travel and study in Europe: Even our pets can easily travel with us across the EU with a pet passport.
- Making shopping in Europe easy and safe: We don’t need to pay customs duties on products bought online in Europe, and our consumer rights are protected by the European Consumer Centre.
- Preventing disclosure of our personal data without our consent: This is why you are asked about cookies every time you visit a new website.
Find out more: About the European Parliament
Who can vote in the European elections?
You can vote in the European elections if:
- you are at least 18 years old on 9 June 2024, and
- you are a Finnish citizen, or
- you are an EU citizen residing in Finland who is entered in the voting register.
Vote - it's easy!
1. Choose a candidate
Choose a candidate who is advocating for issues you care about and who you think would be the best person to represent your point of view in matters that concern our country and all of Europe. A Vantaa resident who is eligible to vote can vote for any Finnish candidate in the European elections.
The list of candidates will be published on 10 May. You can find out more about the candidates using voting advice applications, the Information and Result Service of the Ministry of Justice or the candidates’ own web pages.
2. Decide when you want to vote and cast your ballot!
The busiest voting days are typically election day itself and the first and last days of advance voting. If you want to avoid the rush, consider casting your vote on another day.
- Registration for home voting closes on 28 May 2024 at 4 p.m.
- Advance voting takes place from 29 May to 4 June 2024 in Finland and from 29 May to 1 June 2024 abroad.
- Election day is on Sunday 9 June 2024.
During advance voting from 29 May to 4 June, you can choose which polling station in Vantaa or anywhere else in Finland you would like to vote at. There are 14 advance voting stations in Vantaa. They are open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, with the exception of Metropolia’s Myyrmäki campus, which is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
All you need is a valid proof of identity document! Please ensure that your proof of identity document, such as your passport or driver’s licence, is valid on the day you vote. If you do not have a valid proof of identity document, police stations provide free temporary identity cards for the purpose of voting, regardless of your place of residence.
Advance voting stations in Vantaa
- Mosaiikki culture centre / Kivis shopping centre, Vantaankoskentie 69
- Hämeenkylä K-Supermarket, Ainontie 1
- Martinlaakso library, Laajaniityntie 3
- Myyrmäki Library, Paalutori 3
- Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Myyrmäki campus, Leiritie 1 (weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Jumbo-Flamingo shopping centre, Tasetie 8
- K-Citymarket Tammisto, Tammiston kauppatie 9
- Multipurpose Centre Lumo, Urpiaisentie 14
- Koivukylä Library, Ojalehdonkuja 1
- Outside Vantaa City Hall, Asematie 7 (outdoor polling station)
- K-Supermarket Yliveto, Peltolantie 1
- Shopping Centre Dixi, Ratatie 11
- Hakunila Library, Kimokuja 5
- Länsimäki Library, Suunnistajankuja 2
Video at Youtube: 'How to vote in advance in elections'
When voting on election day on 9 June, you can only vote at the polling station indicated on your polling card. Your polling card has been sent to you by mail. You can also find your polling card in the suomi.fi service if you are registered as a user. You do not need to bring the polling card with you when you vote. Polling stations are open on election day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Video at Youtube: 'How to vote in elections'
Register early for home voting. If you are suffering from an illness or have significant difficulty coming to a polling station, you can vote in advance from home. Please register for home voting by 4 p.m. on Tuesday 28 May 2024. For detailed instructions, please visit our Home and institutional voting page.
Find out more:
- Additional information on voting arrangements in Vantaa: vantaa.fi/elections
- Additional information on the European elections: vaalit.fi/en/
