Deputy Ombudsman Sakslin: Institutional power is emphasized in voting

On the order of Parliamentary Deputy-Ombudsman Maija Sakslin, the Office's legal advisers carried out unannounced inspections to four advance voting facilities at residential institutions in Uusimaa. The inspections aimed to particularly examine how exercising the right to vote is realised in social welfare and health care units providing 24-hour care. The aim of the visits was also to examine the protection of secrecy of election and the voting arrangements.

Every Finnish citizen who has reached the age of eighteen has the right to vote in the Presidential election. During inspections the general observation was that people living in residential institutions appreciate the possibility of voting at the residential institutions. Deputy-Ombudsman Sakslin considers it is important that the advance voting facilities increases voting activity, especially for persons with disabilities and older people, who cannot get to general polling stations.

At one advance voting facility, it was found that the electoral commission acted as a two-member body when, according to the Election Act, commission should be composed of three members.

The actions of institutions’ staff were found to play an important role in the implementation of voting arrangements and in whether residents had an actual opportunity to exercise their right to vote. In practice, staff members are responsible for informing residents of the possibility of voting, finding out whether the residents would like to vote and, if necessary, helping them to vote.

As an own initiative, the Ombudsman decided to investigate the composition of municipal election committees and the cooperation practices between election authorities and care institutions. In addition, an own-initiative investigation will be carried out on how municipalities are ensuring that voting at advance voting facilities is organised at every institution referred to in the Election Act.

One of the special tasks assigned to the Parliamentary Ombudsman is the promotion, protection, and monitoring of the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities. This task is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ratified by Finland. Inspections thus seek to draw special attention to accessibility and the possibilities for participation of persons with disabilities.

The inspection record 8012/2023 has been published (in Finnish) online at www.oikeusasiamies.fi. 

For more information, please contact Senior Legal Adviser Juha-Pekka Konttinen, tel. +358 (0)9 432 3338 or Senior Legal Adviser Päivi Lahtinen, tel. +358 (0)9 432 3377.