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1. Young people as voters

2. Young people as political representatives

Young people as voters

The voting age in Finland is 18 years old and there are no special provisions for certain groups of young people. The proposal to lower the voting age has not been actively discussed in parliament and parliament has no official position on the matter. Therefore, there are no imminent plans to lower the voting age. In 2010, the Evangelical Lutheran church has lowered the voting age to 16 in parish council elections.

In Finland the elections are direct, secret and proportional (except the presidential election which is not proportional). The parliament, county and municipal elections are held every four years, while presidential elections are held every six years. Elections for the European Parliament happen every five years in all Member States of the European Union. (General presentation of the Finnish election system, see the publication The Finnish Election System: Overview (2023) written by Arto Jääskeläinen, published by the Ministry of Justice.

Below are the latest turnout percentages reported from each of the above-mentioned elections.

Presidential elections

As mentioned in the release Voting turnout decreased clearly among young men in the second round of the Presidential election 2024 (19.4.2024) by the Statistics Finland, the voting turnout in the second round of the presidential elections in the spring 2024 for the 18–34 years-olds varied between 55-63%. The average turnout in the second round was about 70%.  

European Parliament elections

In 2024, the voting percentage in the elections to the European Parliament of people living in Finland was about 42%, as mentioned in the release Voting turnout in the elections to the European Parliament 2024 on level with the previous elections (18.6.2024) by the Statistics Finland. A later release entitled  Pensioners active voters in the elections to the European Parliament 2024 (5.9.2024) from the same institute offers age specific information. For the 18 to19 year-olds, the voting turnout was about 12% and for 20-34 was as low as 16-17%.

Parliament elections

In the 2023 parliament elections, the turnout was 58% among 18 to 24 year-olds and 64% for 25 to 35 year-olds. The average turnout was about 71%. These amounts have their basis on the article of Sami Borg entitled ‘Electoral participation and attitudes about voting’ in the National Election Study 2023 entitled Prime Minister Elections in the Age of Political Polarisation (in Finnish) (2024) edited by E. Kestilä-Kekkonen (et al.), published by the Ministry of Justice, and on the statistical report of the Statistics Finland entitled Parliament Elections 2023, background analysis of the voters.

County elections

‘Especially young people's voting turnout remained low,’ is mentioned in the Review (14.6.2022) of the Statistics Finland entitled Turnout was low in the first County elections. The general voting turnout in the County elections 2022 was 47.5 per cent, for the 18 to24 year-olds it was under 30% and for the 25 to 34 year-olds, a little bit over 30%. (These figures are based on the Official Statistics Finland 31.12.2022.) 

Municipal elections

As mentioned in the release Over one-half of voters voted in advance (14.6.2022) of the Statistics Finland, ‘the voting turnout in the Municipal elections 2021 was 55,1%, which was the lowest since 1945 in the same elections.’ From the same institute, the number of young voters is reported in the review Persons who voted in Municipal elections 2021(13.7.2021). The turnout of 18-19 years-olds was only about 39%, it even lowered to 34% with the 20-24 year-olds and came back to about 40% for the 25-34 year-olds.

In ‘Background analysis of candidates and elected councillors in County elections 2022’ (16.2.2022) produced by Statistics Finland, it is reported that the average age of all candidates in the county elections is 50, while those elected to the county councils are aged 51, on average. Based on the report entitled ’21 different kinds of county elections: Voting turnout and the elected  in the county elections 2022’ (in Finnish) published by the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, 7.6%  of the candidates and only 4.8% of the elected are under 30 years of age.

As for the elections in 2021, 5.6 % of the members under the age of 30 were elected to local councils in the municipal elections. The average age of the councillors is approximately 51 years old (Pekola-Sjöblom & Piipponen Municipal elections 2021 (in Finnish), published by the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities. For more information see the review entitled Background analysis of candidates and elected councillors in Municipal elections 2021(24.6.2021) 

There are no recent statistics regarding voter turnout in referendums (or in the case of Finland, plebiscites, as they are advisory only), as the last referendum was in 1994. 

Young people as political representatives

In Finland, membership of a political party is only possible for those who are eligible to vote, as per the Act on Political Parties. A party is a registered association that is entered on the party register kept by the Ministry of Justice. As of October 2024, there are seventeen parties registered, nine of whom are represented at parliament.

Young people over 18 years old can stand as political candidates in local, county, national and European elections. There is no quota of seats reserved for young people nor are there any provisions aimed at facilitating young people to stand as political candidates. Seven (3,5%) of the 200 members of the national parliament are under the age of 30 years old during the term 2023-2026. The average age of the representatives is approximately 47 years old. There are no functions within parliament reserved for young people, exclusively.

In ‘Background analysis of candidates and elected councillors in County elections 2022’ (16.2.2022) produced by Statistics Finland, it is reported that the average age of all candidates in the county elections is 50, while those elected to the county councils are aged 51, on average. Based on the report entitled ’21 different kinds of county elections: Voting turnout and the elected  in the county elections 2022’ (in Finnish) published by the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, 7.6%  of the candidates and only 4.8% of the elected are under 30 years of age.

As for the elections in 2021, 5.6 % of the members under the age of 30 were elected to local councils in the municipal elections. The average age of the councillors is approximately 51 years old (Pekola-Sjöblom & Piipponen Municipal elections 2021 (in Finnish), published by the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities. For more information see the review entitled Background analysis of candidates and elected councillors in Municipal elections 2021(24.6.2021)  of the Statistics Finland.

There are no functions within the councils that are specifically reserved for young people.