The ultimate authority in the municipality is vested in the Council. In the 2021 municipal elections, 59 councillors and their substitutes will be elected for the Joensuu City Council.

• The 2021 municipal election day is Sunday, 13 June 2021.
• Advance voting is arranged in Finland from 26 May–8 June and abroad 2–5 June 2021.
• The municipal election results will be confirmed on 16 June 2021.
• The Council will start its term on 1 August 2021.

Who can vote?

• All citizens of Finland and other EU Member States, Iceland and Norway, who have reached the age of 18 no later than on the election day and whose place of domicile is Joensuu, 51 days before the election day.
• Citizens of other states whose place of domicile is Joensuu on 51 days before the election day and who have been domiciled in Finland for two continuous years on the election day.
• Persons employed by the EU or an international organisation operating in Finland and whose place of domicile is Joensuu 51 days before the election day, provided that their information has been stored in the Population Information System and that they have informed the Digital and Population Data Services Agency about their wish to vote in the municipal elections by the latest on the 52nd day before the election day.

Where and when can I vote?

• If you have the right to vote, you will receive a polling card in the mail to your home address. If you use the Messages service of the Suomi.fi online service, you will only receive an electronic notification of your right to vote. If for some reason you have not received the polling card, contact the Digital and Population Data Services Agency for assistance.
• You can vote on the actual election day on 13 June or in advance in Finland on 26 May–8 June and abroad on 2–5 June.
• On the actual election day, 13 June, you can only vote at the polling station that has been assigned to you in the Voting Register. The information about your polling station can be found on the polling card and on the Suomi.fi online service. Voting is open on 13 June from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• You can vote in advance at any advance polling station, also outside of Joensuu. The polling card includes a list of the voter’s advance polling stations nearby.
• In order to vote, bring a personal identification document with a photo, such as your passport, identity card or driving licence.
• If you do not have a personal identification document, you can obtain a temporary identity card from the police station in order to vote.

Voting instructions

• Bring your personal identification document with a photo, such as your driving licence, passport or Kela card with a photo, with you to the polling station.
• Bring the mailed polling card with you, in case there are ambiguities in the voting right clarification. However, the polling card is not mandatory.
• Find out the number of your candidate in advance. The numbers are available, for example, on the elections website of the Ministry of Justice, candidates’ election pages, election ads or the candidate list which is visible at the polling station.
• If you need an electoral assistant, you can ask an election official at the polling station to help you with voting-related issues.
• If the voter’s ability to write down the number of the candidate is substantially deteriorated, the voter can choose to use their own assistant. The assistant helping to write down the number on the election day may be an electoral assistant appointed by the electoral committee or selected by the voter themselves.

Advance voting in the municipal elections from 26 May–8 June 2021

Everyone entitled to vote can vote at the public polling stations, regardless of their municipality of residence.

Voters must present their identification documents, such as a driving licence, passport or another identity card with a photo, to the election official. If you do not have such an identification document, you can pick up a temporary identification document for voting from the nearest police station, free of charge. You need to bring a passport photo with you when picking up the temporary identification document.

It is not mandatory to bring the mailed polling card with you as the mailed polling card is not a sufficient proof of identity.

You can also vote outdoors in advance from 2–3 June 2021

During the advance voting, the City of Joensuu offers an outdoor voting possibility at the Niinivaara advance voting polling station in the courtyard of the school building at Tikkamäentie 17 from Wednesday 2 to Thursday 3 June 2021 9:00–17:00. During these days, advance votes can be cast in a tent erected in the courtyard in front of the school.

Advance polling stations during the municipal elections

You can see the location of the polling station in Google Maps by clicking the name or address of the polling station.