Parish elections
What is your church like? Vote and have your say.
Advance voting will be held from 3 to 7 November.
Election Day is Sunday, 15 November 2026.
Parish elections 2026
In the parish elections you can concretely influence what your parish and church will be like tomorrow and in the future.
Church Elections in a Nutshell
Church elections are, above all, local elections in which members of the congregation choose the people who will guide activities and budgeting for the next four-year term.
Vote if you want to influence the choices your parish makes in the future, what kind of community your parish is, or how its funds are used.
Church elections are local. By voting, you can influence the future of your own parish: who is hired, what kinds of activities are organized, how the parish’s resources are used, which partners it chooses to cooperate with, and what facilities are available to the parish.
In the church elections this autumn, representatives will be elected to guide the activities of your parish during the 2027–2030 term. If you are a member of the Church and will be at least 16 years old by election day, you have the right to take part in choosing them. Your vote matters!
Who can vote?
You can vote in the parish elections if you are a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and will be at least 16 years old by election day, 15 November 2026. Confirmation school or confirmation is not required.
Where can I vote?
You can vote in advance between 3 and 7 November at any advance polling station in Finland. However, you may vote only for a candidate from your own parish.
On election day, 15 November 2026, you may vote only at the polling station of your own parish.
You belong to the parish in whose area your municipality of residence is located. As a rule, your municipality of residence is the municipality in Finland where you permanently live and where you are registered. The search service (see link below) will find your parish based on the address you provide.
If you have moved to the area of a new parish after 15 August, you will exercise your voting rights in your previous parish.
Advance voting is not available outside Finland.
What Do Elected Representatives Do?
The representatives elected in the church elections represent the members of the parish. They work together with the parish priest and other parish employees.
Representatives make decisions on many important matters concerning the activities, finances, and administration of the parish or parish union. For example, they decide on:
- the parish church tax rate, budgets, and many other financial matters
- construction projects
- grants and financial support
- many staff appointments and new positions
- the priorities and focus areas of parish activities
- the use of parish facilities.
Representatives have the right to vote in diocesan bishop elections and diocesan council elections. They may also vote in Church Assembly elections, which means they help choose the decision-makers of the Church’s highest governing body. The Church Assembly decides, for example, on matters related to the doctrine of the Church and the finances of the Church as a whole.
How Decision-Making Works
The Parish Council is the elected governing body responsible for the overall leadership of the spiritual work and other activities of an individual parish. It also serves as the preparatory and executive body of the Parish Council. The Parish Council elects the members of the Parish Executive Council from among its own members.
The Parish Executive Council is responsible for the parish’s general administration and manages its finances and property. It represents the parish before courts and public authorities and enters into agreements and other legal acts on the parish’s behalf. The Parish Executive Council appoints most of the parish’s officials. The parish priest serves as the chair of the Parish Executive Council.
The Parish Council is the highest decision-making body of an independent parish that is not part of a parish union. Its members are elected through parish elections. The Parish Council makes the most important decisions concerning the parish’s finances and officials. A layperson serves as its chair.
The Parish Council elects the members of the Parish Executive Council from among its own members. Through its rules of procedure and governance regulations, the Parish Council may delegate decision-making authority to the Parish Executive Council, its divisions, and committees.
The number of members in the Parish Council is determined according to the population of the parish.
Advance Voting, 3-7 November
You can vote in advance at any advance polling station in Finland. Check the locations and opening hours before you go to vote.
You may cast your vote only for a candidate from your own parish. Be sure to check your candidate’s number.
If you have received a voting rights notification card, bring it with you to the advance polling station. You can also vote without it. Your identity will be verified at the polling station.
Election Day, 15 November
Election Day is Sunday, 15 November 2026. Polling stations are open from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. You may vote only at the polling station of your own parish.
Please remember to bring a valid form of identification with you to the polling station.
Home Voting
If your ability to move or function is restricted to the extent that you cannot reach a polling station or an advance polling station without unreasonable difficulty, you may vote in advance at home (home voting) in the parish whose register of eligible voters includes your name.
You do not need to present a medical certificate or any other detailed proof that you meet the requirements for home voting. Your own assessment, or that of a close family member, is sufficient.
A family caregiver who lives in the same household as a person entitled to home voting may also vote during the home voting visit, provided that the caregiver is included in the register of eligible voters of the same parish.
Home voting can usually be arranged even if the voter listed in the parish’s register of eligible voters is living, for example, in a care facility located in the area of a neighbouring parish.
Registering for Home Voting
You must register for home voting in writing or by telephone no later than the Friday before advance voting begins, that is, by 30 October 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
Registration must be made with the parish office or parish administration office of the parish in whose register of eligible voters the person is listed. Registration can be made in writing or by telephone. It may also be submitted by email. A written registration can be made using a form available from the parish office or parish administration office.
Seinäjoki Parish Service Office
Ala-Kuljun katu 1A, 60100 Seinäjoki
+358 6 418 4901
seinajoki.virasto@evl.fi
Important dates
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15 September – Closing of the nomination of candidates
The founding document, the representative’s warranty and an approval signed by all the candidates must be submitted to the location specified by the parish by 16:00.
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3-7 November – Early voting period
During the early voting period you can vote in any parish’s early voting place – even if it’s in another city.
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15 November – Election day
On election day every voter votes in the place designed by their own parish. The right to vote begins at age 16.
Candidates
The election advice application will open on 6 October 2026, and candidate information for the Seinäjoki Parish election will be published here.
Polling Stations
The election advice application will open on 6 October 2026, and information about polling stations and advance polling stations for the Seinäjoki Parish election will be published here.
More about the parish elections
You can find more information about the parish elections and how to participate from these links.
A church membership opens the doors to the elections!
Join the church well in advance, so that you can run for office or vote in the parish elections.