County elections and municipal elections: Examples of voting process published to help voters 

The 2025 county elections and municipal elections will be held simultaneously, but they are two separate elections. The Ministry of Justice has published communication materials providing examples that will help voters know what to do when they go to a polling station. 

Voting in two elections during a single visit to a polling station is simple. At the polling station, an election official will give each voter two ballots, a purple one and a white one. The purple ballot is for the county elections and the white ballot for the municipal elections. Election officials will advise and assist voters at the polling station. When the votes are being counted, the ballots can be distinguished based on their colour. 

Candidate numbers in the elections are also different. Candidate numbers in the county elections start from the number 2002, and candidate numbers in the municipal elections start from the number 2. In the county elections, voters may only vote for a candidate standing for election in their own wellbeing services county, while in the municipal elections, voters may only vote for a candidate standing for election in their own municipality of residence.

Examples illustrate the voting process step by step

To help voters, the Ministry of Justice has published illustrated step-by-step instructions on the voting process. The instructions include an example of both advance voting and voting on election day. 

Instructions are available in the communication channels of the Ministry of Justice