The turnout in Finland’s first regional elections is also tense. The turnout of 55.1 per cent in the municipal elections was widely considered to be a matter of concern. In this election, researchers would already consider it a good standard.
What Does the turnout in the regional elections tell us about the state of Finnish representative democracy? What about the success of a completely new election?
This will be considered when the final turnout in the regional elections is known on Sunday night.
The prognosis during the election campaign was grim: part of the surveys anticipates only about 40 percent turnout in regional elections.
In recent days, with the advance voting rate estimates changed to slightly more optimistic: maybe the 50% limit would eventually be exceeded.
In last summer’s municipal elections, the turnout was 55.1, the weakest since 1945. That’s it considered to be of great concern from a democracy perspective.
Would reaching the same level now seem like a relief?
“Municipal elections reaching me would be a really good achievement for candidates, parties and the media alike, ”says the docent of general political science at the University of Helsinki, who studied voting activity Hanna Wass.
He suggests, for example, that the corona situation is now worse than it was last summer. In addition, new regional elections came to the parties at short notice. Campaign time was short. There may have been electoral fatigue now.
Comparing the turnout in the regional elections with the previous elections is generally difficult, as the elections are now the first of their kind.
It is therefore difficult to know how many voters have had time to outline what they can influence and in what way. For example, in municipal elections, this is an already familiar model and partly familiar candidates.
In addition, the difference with the last municipal elections is, for example, that advance voting was extended at that time, unlike now.
Read more: “People do not understand why people are voting” – Election Day morning started quietly at Porvoo polling stations
Read more: Finns are currently voting in historic elections, where decisions affecting almost everyday life are decided: This is the case in regional elections
Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Tampere Heikki Paloheimokin would consider a 50% turnout in the regional elections to be a very good result for precisely these reasons. The critical limit for the functioning of democracy would be about 40 percent of him.
Roughly this size is the group that is interested in politics or at least so conscientious that they always vote, he counts.
“Then we have something particularly problematic if, even on a conventional scale, not all bomb-proof voters have set in motion.”
In Finland the result of the election is legally valid, whatever the turnout. In theory, then, it could be that almost no one votes, but the seats allocated in the election are filled.
In the current state elections, the lowest readings have been in the 1999 European elections, with a turnout of 31.4%. Even weaker readings can be found in the municipal elections in the early 20th century, but a comparison with the conditions of that time is questionable.
The legal validity of elections and the realization of the spirit of democracy are, of course, quite different things.
Concerns about low turnout in this election, too, are related to whose voice is heard if few people use it.
In studies has been observedthat the lower the turnout, the more well-off the electorate. Non-voting and low turnout are linked by many different indicators, such as wealth and level of education.
Danger it is therefore that decisions are made on the basis of the well-being.
“In this election, this imbalance is particularly miserable,” Wass says.
“Those who use services, both health services and, of course, social services, are the people who may vote the least.”
At the same time, Wass points out that elections are never the only way to make a voice heard. In the case of welfare states, councils for the elderly, young people or people with disabilities, for example, can be created as a means of participatory democracy. Of course, there is also a danger that the reach of the most vulnerable will be limited.
From the past it is known from the measurements that the themes of the regional elections, ie social and health services, are very important to citizens. It could therefore be assumed that the election for them would be more inspiring. Why is this not the case?
One reason may be that the regional elections do not actually decide on the money bag for the military and rescue sectors moving to the regions. Instead, they select people to distribute money as they see fit in the regions.
Wass thinks the public understands this and may therefore see the parliamentary elections as a real sote election setting the framework.
“However, people find that the hardest bets aren’t in the barrel.”
In general, regional elections may be seen as a bit technical and the possible ideological dimensions of decision-making – that is, the kind of political choices that can be made – are not outlined when regional councils are not yet operational.
Paloheimo says he considers it very likely that turnout will be higher in the next regional elections when the election campaign is concrete. The commissioners and the parties have already shook hands on different views, for example on the service network.
Read more: The leaders of the governing parties attacked Orpo’s coalition in a debate on local services: “It’s easy for you to sit here in Helsinki saying that it doesn’t matter on those walls.”
Wasskin believes that the situation may change. He describes the current election as a kind of dry practice or simulation, one that may be difficult for many to find interesting.
Therefore, on the basis of the turnout in the elections, no major conclusions should be drawn from him, for example, about the realization of democracy.
“I wouldn’t think this is now a major measure of democracy and we can begin to update that Finland’s representative system is being destroyed. It is not worth giving the vote a symbolic value that does not make sense in this context. ”
.
#Regional #elections #turnout #historic #election #wouldnt #big #measure #democracy #researcher
