Advance voting activity now lower than in elections six years ago

Tuesday rush fails to make up lost ground from the weekend

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Despite the last-minute rush on Tuesday, the last day for advance voting in the first round of the 2006 Presidential Elections, the number of advance votes did not reach the same level as in the previous elections six years ago. A total of some 1.25 million citizens had cast their votes by Tuesday evening, while in 2000 the corresponding figure was over 1.3 million.
      A total of 30.7 percent of all registered voters have now exercised their right to vote. In 2000, the advance voting percentage after the first round of the Presidential Elections was 33.4 percent.
     
The advance voting activity in Helsinki's Main Post Office increased on Tuesday afternoon.
      However, it took only ten minutes to queue up there, while in the small post office in the district of Ruoholahti voters had to stand in line for over 30 minutes still at 7 p.m. After seeing the queue, many potential voters turned around at the door and left.
      "It would be more festive and "official" to vote on Sunday, but we thought that we might have other things to do then", reported Heidi Laine. Like Heidi, all voters seemed to be young working citizens.
      When questioned, five voters in the line believed that there would be a second round, while one person did not think so. Four people contented themselves with saying that in the end it would be a close-run thing either way.
      Director of Electoral Administration Arto Jääskeläinen from the Ministry of Justice believed that the decreased advance voting activity last weekend might be a result of outdoor activities or travelling. "Apparently people are still interested in elections", he noted. The lowish turnout at the weekend has largely been blamed for the shortfall of votes, as advance voting started and ended on a high note
      "Even though no such electric atmosphere exists as both in 1994 and 2000, there is nevertheless no reason to complain about the voting percentage yet. After all, the actual voting day is yet to come. For instance in 1994, there was a surprising turn at the end, when the number of votes for Elisabeth Rehn increased, hence raising people's voting enthusiasm", senior lecturer Sami Borg
      from Tampere ponders.
     
"This presents a big challenge to the candidates, who should rouse eligible voters during the last days so that they would exercise their right to vote on Sunday. The game is by no means over yet", Borg concludes.
      Borg, a regular election pundit of recent years, also says that it is difficult to evaluate the significance of the increased number of advance polling stations and the decreased number of voting stations on the actual election day. At least in large cities this should have no effect whatsoever, he feels.
     
In today's Finland there are fewer and fewer people who have a fixed party affiliation, reports Borg. They make their voting decisions at the last minute and are keen on using online election machines to match themselves with a candidate even on the election day, according to a survey.
      In Sami Borg's view, these elections cannot be compared with any other previous elections, as both the incumbent President and Prime Minister are candidates in the current Presidential Elections, in which the President of the Republic is elected by a direct vote.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Advance voting for 2006 Presidential Elections begins today (4.1.2006)
  Advance voting for presidential elections begins with record high turnout (5.1.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat