Advance voting in EP polls begins on Wednesday

Advance voting in the elections to the European Parliament begins on Wednesday, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on Monday.

The advance voting period in Finland lasts for a week, so the last day for advance voting is May 21 Tuesday.

Abroad, advance voting is arranged between May 15 and May 18. However, at some polling stations, the voting period will be shorter.

There are a total of 910 advance polling stations in Finland. They are located, for example, at town halls, libraries, shopping centres and post offices.

Information about the addresses and opening hours of advance polling stations is available on the election website of the Ministry of Justice.

Eligible voters living abroad and eligible voters staying abroad at the time of the elections have the right to vote by post in the general elections.

The election day is May 26. On the election day, voters may only vote at the polling station mentioned on the polling card sent to them before the elections.

Polling stations are to remain open from 9.00am to 8.00pm.

Voters need to present some form of official photo ID, for example a passport, an identity card or a driving licence, both when voting on the election day and when voting in advance.

The old cardboard driving licence will also be accepted as a proof of identity, if the voter can be identified from the photo and the election official can thus reliably verify the identity of the voter.

Voters who do not have a valid proof of identity can obtain a temporary identity card free of charge from the police for voting purposes, the press release added.