Electronic candidacy applications anticipated for regional elections in Finland

The days of submitting candidacy applications on paper forms are numbered, according to Pia Rantanen, the operational director of the National Coalition Party in Southeast Finland. “In the final days before the candidacy deadline, we drive around the region collecting slips of paper,” she stated. Rantanen advocates for an electronic submission process. Last year, she issued a statement supported by other local parties, including the Social Democrats, Centre Party, Greens, and Finns Party, calling for electronic candidacy applications to be implemented for regional and municipal elections as early as 2025. However, this appears unlikely to occur.

The pursuit of electronic candidacy application has been noted in the government’s program, aiming for implementation next year. Unfortunately, Arto Jääskeläinen, head of the electoral department at the Ministry of Justice, stated that this goal won’t be achieved quickly due to budgetary constraints. “Technical plans are advanced, but in the current tight state finances, funding for implementation seems absent,” he explained. Jääskeläinen anticipates that the system could be in use by the 2027 parliamentary elections, with an estimated investment of around half a million euros. While he doesn’t claim the current paper system is convenient, it has functioned adequately for decades.

Rantanen points out multiple issues with the current system, including the difficulty in reading candidates’ handwriting and the use of carbon copies. Last-minute challenges, such as a party vehicle being stuck in a traffic jam, have also caused delays. Jääskeläinen noted that while electronic signatures could be an option for those with an e-identity card, this identification method is not widely adopted in Finland.