Valordning för kyrkan

Chapter 1: General provisions.

This provision says the election rules apply to elections regulated in Chapter 23 of the Church Law.

Election authorities must take necessary election steps at the times set by the church law or this election order. If a voter’s deadline ends on a holiday, Saturday, or similar day, the act may be done on the next business day, and related election proceedings move accordingly.

The provision sets when parish elections begin and end, allows advance voting as provided later, and gives the diocesan chapter power to postpone elections in a specific pending redivision situation or set the date for extraordinary parish elections.

Seurakunnan vaalilautakunta toimittaa vaalit, ja se on asetettava viimeistään vaalivuoden toukokuussa.

If an election notice or announcement must be published in a newspaper, the central election committee may also inform parish members by a joint announcement, unless Church Act chapter 3 section 5 says otherwise.

Vaalilautakunnan ja seurakuntayhtymän keskusvaalitoimikunnan on laadittava äänioikeutettujen luettelo.

The voter register for parish elections must be checked on time, corrected for omissions and errors, then dated and certified by signatures.

The voter register must be made available for inspection under supervision for specific hours on two consecutive weekdays, with personal identity numbers excluded, and the public notice about this display must state the time, place, correction procedure, and meeting time of the election board.

The election committee must handle objections about the voting register at the specified church election meetings.

Vaalilautakunnan on tehtävä merkintä äänioikeutettujen luettelon lainvoimaisuudesta.

When a parish is divided into voting districts, it must prepare a notice card for each person entered in the electoral register, and the election board must send the cards no later than 24 days before election day if the voter’s address is known.

The election committee must prepare a notice in the election year and publish it on the parish notice board and in a newspaper by the stated deadlines.

A voters’ association may nominate candidates in parish elections if at least ten eligible parish members founded it; an eligible voter may found only one association per relevant election, and the election committee must remove anyone who joined multiple associations in the same election.

Valitsijayhdistys may nominate only the stated maximum number of candidates, and any proposed candidate-list name must include the word “ehdokaslista”.

A valitsijayhdistys is formed by a dated, signed founding document that includes the required election, member, candidate, and agent details, and it must also have the listed consents and declarations attached.

Valitsijayhdistyksen on toimitettava perustamisasiakirja liitteineen määräpaikkaan viimeistään 15. syyskuuta ennen klo 16, ja toimitila on pidettävä auki vähintään neljä tuntia ennen sitä.

The election committee must review the founding documents and candidate lists, reject late submissions, give notice of rejection, allow correction in certain cases, and approve the documents if there are no objections or requests for further clarification.

The election association’s representative, or the founder’s signer if no representative has been appointed, may correct and supplement the founding document by 1 October before 16:00, and may also correct certain candidate details during the same time.

The election committee must review certain founding documents, update candidate lists, prepare the combined candidate list, and number candidates after 16:00 on October 1 of the election year.

The combined candidate list must show candidates in the required layout and include only the allowed candidate details, a title showing the election, and matching paper color for the relevant election ballots.

The candidate list combination must be posted on the parish notice board no later than three weeks before the election starts, and the same information must be announced in a newspaper at the same time.

The electoral board must, at the meeting referred to in section 17(1), decide polling places, appoint advance-voting officers, handle other advance-voting matters, prepare the advance-voting notice, choose election assistants, and, if needed, appoint at least three advance ballot counters.

Ballot papers must follow specific size, marking, folding, secrecy, and paper-colour rules; printing is assigned to different church election bodies depending on the type of election.

Advance voting starts on the Monday after the last Sunday in October and continues until Friday of that week. The election committee must post and announce the advance-voting notice within set time limits.

Advance voting must use the ballot paper, envelope, cover letter form, and return envelope prepared by the church council.

In advance voting, the voter must register with the election official and prove identity.

Voter has the right to vote for a candidate in the parish list combination where they are registered, and must mark the ballot clearly and keep the vote secret.

The voter must sign the declaration in the presence of an election official. The letter must be addressed to the parish election committee for the parish where the voter is listed in the electoral register.

Advance voting ballots must be folded, sealed, stamped, and forwarded properly; the polling place must close at the announced end time, but voters already present and waiting may still vote.

Kirkkohallitus prepares the form for the voter list used at advance voting places.

Election board must inspect advance voting documents unopened, reject late envelopes unopened, and record or store accepted and rejected materials as specified.

Eligible voters with severely limited mobility or ability to function may cast an advance vote at home if they cannot reach a polling or advance voting place without unreasonable difficulty.

Home voting must be carried out with an additional adult person present, chosen or approved by the voter; a candidate in the election cannot be that person.

A person entitled to home voting must notify the election board that they want to vote at home by the deadline, and the board must keep a list and provide forms.

Home voting must be scheduled during advance voting hours, and the voter must be told the arrival time of the election official and the committee phone number; if the official cannot come, the voter must be told immediately.

The polling official must suspend home voting if voter freedom or the smooth conduct of voting cannot be ensured.

Home voting paperwork must include a voter-signed declaration, the present person must sign the cover letter, and the election official must certify, date, sign, seal, and promptly deliver the materials to the electoral board.

The election committee must announce elections by notice, including the start and end times and polling places.

Vaalilautakunnan on järjestettävä vaaleihin asianmukaiset tilat, välineet ja äänestysliput sekä varmistettava vaalipaikan ilmoitukset, läsnäolo ja vaaliavustajat.

When voting starts on election day, the election board chair or vice-chair must open the proceedings, announce the elections and instructions, show that the ballot box is empty, and then close it. The ballot box may not be opened until counting begins after voting ends, and discussion is not allowed during the proceedings.

The voter must register at the polling station and provide proof of identity to the electoral committee.

Voter ballots must be marked clearly and handled in the prescribed voting process; assistance is available on request, with confidentiality requirements for assistants.

Eligible voters who are already present and waiting when voting time ends may still vote before the polling place closes.

If voting is interrupted, the election committee must safeguard the ballot box and electoral roll and keep them under supervision.

Each polling place must keep minutes of the voting process, and the minutes must be attached to the election board’s minutes. The minutes must be signed by the chair, the secretary, and two board members present at the polling place.

The election committee meeting must allow the election association’s representative or deputy to be present while ballots are counted and the election result is determined.

The election board must count ballots in the way this section requires, including handling advance votes, separating invalid ballots, and finishing the count without interruption.

A ballot is invalid if it was not made for the election, if the envelope contains more than one ballot for the same election, if the ballot is unsealed, if the mark does not clearly show which candidate it means, or if it includes the voter’s name, a special identifying mark, or another improper marking.

The election committee must rank candidates by personal votes and assign comparative numbers, including to candidates with zero personal votes.

Election results are counted separately, candidates are ranked by their reference figures, and substitutes are appointed from the same candidate list in reference-figure order.

Valitsijayhdistys may state in the candidate list who will be regular members and the order of substitutes if no other acceptable candidate lists are submitted; candidates are elected without a vote if the approved candidate lists have as many candidates as seats or at least four-fifths of the number of seats.

Vaalilautakunnan on vahvistettava vaalin tulos määräajassa ja ilmoitettava tuloksesta sekä pidettävä vaalipöytäkirjaa koskeva ilmoitus nähtävänä seurakunnan ilmoitustaululla.

If an election is appealed, the parish priest must send the ballots for that election to the administrative court on request, in the sealed envelope referred to in subsection 2.

Kirkkovaltuusto, yhteinen kirkkovaltuusto ja seurakuntaneuvosto voidaan muodostaa ilman uusia vaaleja, ja vaalilautakunta tekee muodostamispäätöksen ja ilmoittaa siitä.

The diocesan chapter must set the election day and election deadlines if certain election problems occur, and the election committee or chair must report the situation promptly to the diocesan chapter.

If a congregation or part of its area is moved to another congregation, the receiving congregation’s election board must handle election-related actions in the new area. If needed, the transferring congregation must give the election board a list of eligible voting-age members living in the transferred area.

In the year before a parish-division change takes effect, parish elections are held under the new parish division.

After the election proposal, the chapter sets the timing of the parish priest’s direct election and arranges the election process.

Tuomiokapitulin on lähetettävä kirkkoherralle kuulutus, jossa ilmoitetaan vaaliehdokkaat, heidän ansionsa, vaalinäytepäivät ja vaalin alkamispäivä.

A candidate may remain a candidate without providing the service proof if there is an acceptable reason; otherwise the candidate is removed. The diocesan chapter must suspend the election and, in some cases, make a new candidate proposal.

Kirkkoherran välittömän vaalin ajankohta, äänestyspaikat ja ennakkoäänestysajat määräytyvät tässä pykälässä, ja vaalilautakunta päättää äänestysajoista sekä äänestyspaikoista.

The voter list for a church parish rector’s direct election must be prepared no later than 55 days before the first election day and checked within two days. Correction requests are handled at an election committee meeting held two weeks after the display period ends.

Vaalilautakunnan on laadittava kuulutus kirkkoherran välittömästä vaalista, sen alkamisesta sekä äänestyspaikoista ja -ajoista.

A ballot printed by the election committee must show each candidate’s name, official position, and title in separate columns, must show how it is folded, and must protect the secrecy of the vote.

A notice of election candidates must be displayed in the polling place waiting area and in each voting booth, and it must not look like a ballot paper.

Äänestäjän on tehtävä selvästi näkyvä merkintä äänestyslipun siihen sarakkeeseen, jossa hänen äänestämänsä ehdokkaan nimi on.

After voting ends, ballots are counted, the election result is confirmed, the election committee writes the minutes in two copies, sends one copy to the cathedral chapter and an excerpt with appeal instructions to the candidates, and keeps all ballots in a sealed durable cover for at least four years.

This section says certain election rules apply, as appropriate, to the conduct of elections, advance voting, home voting, and voting; it also says a common parish priest direct election must follow the rules for a parish priest direct election, and voting plus the election-day service are to be carried out in all parishes with a common parish priest office.

The diocesan council member and church synod representative elections are held on the second Tuesday of February in the second year after the parish elections referred to in 3 § 1 moment.

The diocesan chapter must appoint the election committee in September of the year before the election year, notify churches and diocesan priests, and provide the committee secretary and office support. The committee must choose a vice-chair, the chair and secretary must sign the minutes and documents, and the committee must choose two minute checkers unless checking can happen during the meeting.

Tuomiokapituli, vaalilautakunta ja kirkkoherra ovat velvollisia laatimaan ja toimittamaan tiettyjä luetteloita määräajassa.

The parish pastor must notify the election board of the parish population by January 25, and the election board must calculate, confirm, and record parish voting weights by February 1.

Documents addressed to the election board must be delivered to the church chapter, which forwards them; documents about electing a lay member and lay representative in the Åland parish area are sent to the rural dean.

Valitsijayhdistys saa asettaa ehdokkaita, jos se on perustettu vaadituilla äänioikeutettujen määrillä. Ehdokaslistassa ehdokkaita saa nimetä enintään kolme kertaa sen verran kuin vaalissa valitaan. Perustamisasiakirja ja ehdokaslista on toimitettava tuomiokapitulille viimeistään edeltävän vuoden 15. marraskuuta ennen kello 16, ellei 2 §:n 2 momentista muuta johdu.

An electoral association must name the required candidates in its founding document, and if only one candidate list is submitted the named candidates are elected without a vote.

The election committee must preliminarily review electoral association founding documents, candidate lists, and attachments by 30 November of the year before the election year.

The election committee must make corrections, number candidate lists and candidates, and prepare candidate list combinations at its meeting on 15 December before the election year.

Kirkkohallitus must provide the election materials and ballots to the election committees, and the election committee must arrange printing and distribution of the candidate list combinations and ballots used in elections.

This section sets meeting procedures for these elections and names who convenes and chairs one of the meetings.

If a priest or eligible lay voter cannot attend the relevant election meeting, they may send a folded ballot in a sealed envelope marked with their name and a note that it contains their ballot.

The parish priest must arrange election preparation for certain church elections, the chair or vice-chair must act as required before the election starts, and the diocesan dean has the same listed tasks for priest elections.

Section 82 sets the voting procedure: voters vote for the candidate list, ballots must be stamped and placed in the box unread, and special handling applies if a voter lacks voting rights.

After voting ends, ballots must be counted unopened and unmarked, then sealed and sent to the election committee. A protocol must also be kept, signed by the chairperson, certified by the secretary, checked immediately, and sent with the ballots.

Vaalilautakunnan on avattava sinetöidyt päällykset, laskettava vaalien tulokset ja vahvistettava kunkin vaalin tulokset erikseen helmikuun kolmantena maanantaina.

The election committee must announce election results, publish the notice with appeal instructions for a set period, and issue certificates to elected members and representatives. The same certificate rules apply to the cathedral chapter when results are corrected or substitutes take office, and to the Sámi Parliament for the Sami member and representative roles mentioned here.

Election records must be kept in the diocesan chapter’s archive, and used ballots and candidate-list combinations must be sealed and stored there until the next election.

The diocesan chapter sets the time of the bishop election, and parish clergy must help arrange the election of lay electors and report the result.

Tuomiokapitulin and lääninrovasti must prepare voting lists and related notices for bishop and archbishop elections.

If a voter has multiple voting bases in the archbishop election, the vote is used in a specified order; the same rule also applies to the bishop election.

Piispan vaalia varten tuomiokapituli asettaa ehdokasasettelun alkamispäivän ja lähettää valitsijalistan; valitsijayhdistys voi asettaa ehdokkaan, jos sillä on vähintään 30 äänioikeutettua jäsentä.

After candidate nomination ends, the chapter must review the founding documents, candidate applications, and attachments within two weeks, and if needed give the association’s representative a chance to correct errors.

Tuomiokapitulin must, within two weeks after the correction-procedure deadline, correct the founding documents, prepare lists of eligible candidates and a candidate list, send the candidate list to the rural deans, and arrange printing of the candidate list and ballots.

This section sets the procedure for bishop and archbishop elections, including who chairs the voting and where electors vote.

Piispan vaalissa ehdokkaista ei saa keskustella vaalitoimituksessa, ja poissa oleva äänioikeutettu voi lähettää taitetun äänestyslippunsa suljetussa kuoressa tietyin merkintäehdoin.

Puheenjohtajan on lähetettävä äänestysliput ja pöytäkirja tuomiokapituliin suljetussa päällyksessä, jossa on merkittävä sisältö ja lähettäjä; puheenjohtaja ja pöytäkirjanpitäjä allekirjoittavat pöytäkirjan, ja kaksi valittua tarkastajaa tarkastaa sen.

Tuomiokapituli decides ballot validity, confirms the election result if one candidate gets more than half the votes, publishes the result, and orders a new election if no one has a majority.

The diocesan chapter sets the timing of the pappisasessori election, informs the rural deans, and, when the dean’s office must be filled, appoints a parish priest to conduct the election.

The election follows the rules in sections 94, 95, 96(1), and for the pappisasessori election also section 93(1). Only one name may be marked on each ballot, and the electoral list used must be checked for each election.

This section says the election system takes effect on the same day as the church law amendment approved on 8 November 2013, and it repeals the previous church election system.