You Could Have a Right to Vote – Use It!

When I was an exchange student in England I could have voted in the local elections, but I did not. The main reason for not voting was not that my lack of interest in politics, but that I was only vaguely aware of the elections.

The lack of election activity among foreigners is also the case in Finland, and lack of knowledge one of the main causes behind it. Yle News (http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/study_immigrant_voters_not_getting_enough_election_information/9481542) reported that only 19.6 percent of the foreign nationals entitled to vote voted in the last municipal in elections and that a recent study by Social Democratic Think thank Kalevi Sorsa foundation found out that 39 percent of the migrants who did not vote were not aware of their right to vote.

If you, like me back in the day, are not quite sure about whether you can vote, or what the elections are about, read on! Check out who can vote, why you should vote, and where and when you can vote!

There are 100.000 students in Helsinki, and the students’ election themes include affordable housing, better public transport, and improved services. See more at worldstudentcapital.fi!

Do I have a right to vote?

There are over 170 000 foreign nationals living in Finland who are entitled to vote or run as a candidate in the municipal elections. An EU or ETA citizen who has lived in Finland for at least 51 days has a right to vote.  Those who are not EU or ETA citizens can vote after they have lived in Finland for two years. Check out an infographic on who can vote by Yle! .

Why should I vote?

The decisions with the most concrete effects on students’ lives are made at the municipal level. City councils make decisions on how many new student apartments will be built, what kind of student discounts there are for public transportation, will there be more bike lanes, is the nice forest in the neighborhood cut down, is the city heated by fossil fuels, can everyone place their kids in daycare and on many other things. If you have any opinions on these issues, voting in the municipal elections is a good idea.

The World Student Capital objectives for the municipal elections provide also great examples on, what kind of policies would make the city better place for students. The World Student Capital is a network of all students and student unions in the Helsinki region, and aims to develop Helsinki into the World Student Capital!

You should vote especially if you have made Finland your new home, or plan or wish to do so, but even if you’re only in Helsinki for a shorter stay, please consider voting: even if you’re not here to reap the benefits, another student in your situation will be. If students do not make their voice heard themselves, no one else will do it for them.

Whom to vote for?

Because in the Finnish election system you always vote for the party, not just a candidate, it is worthwhile to get to know the political parties. There are 16 registered parties in Finland. They are listed here with links to their webpages, where you can find their goals and values and lists of the candidates.

A great number of students of the University of Helsinki are also running in the municipal elections, check out the link to see who. Voting for a fellow student could help correct the serious underrepresentation of young people in the city council. Only 7 percent of the city council members in Helsinki are under 30 years old, whereas 19% of the population of Helsinki are aged 18–29 years.

People tend to vote for candidates who are similar to themselves, so who would vote for students if not students themselves? HYY board member Elli Saari writes about youth as voters in the student union blog.

To help you decide, Yle News, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is hosting an election debate in English on Wednesday March 22, at 2 p.m. The debate will be broadcasted live on Yle Areena and on Facebook!

Where, when and how?

The Election Day is on 9th April. On the Election Day, you should vote at the polling station assigned to you in the letter that has been sent to everyone entitled to vote.  Advance voting is possible between 29th March and 4th April.  Advance voting can be done at any of the advance polling stations. The closest polling stations to the four campuses are the City Hall, Pohjoisesplanadi 11-13 for the City Centre campus, Arabianranta Library, Hämeentie 135  for Kumpula, Töölö Library, Topeliuksenkatu 6 for Meilahti and Viikki Library, Infokeskus Korona, Viikinkaari 11 for  Viikki. All advance polling stations and other practical information about the elections can be found at vaalit.fi (http://www.vaalit.fi/en/index.html). You can also take part  WE ALL MAKE AN IMPACT –EARLY VOTING FLASHMOB EVENT! and go and vote together in advance on 29th March at 5 P.M.

Don’t trust that other people are going to make the right decisions for you. If you have a right to vote, grab your ID with you and head to the nearest polling station!

Ansku Holstila, the writer, is HYY’s municipal elections coordinator, with a background in municipal level climate campaigning, and both a freshman and a PhD student at the University of Helsinki.