EAdIElection Administration Index
How professionally and independently is election administration codified?
Dimensions
Accountability
50.0% · 1/2| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| COI.1Conflict-of-interest disclosureAre commissioners and senior election staff required by statute to disclose financial interests (vendor relationships, party positions, candidate connections) publicly? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| COI.2Judicial review of administrative decisionsIs the right to seek judicial review of election-authority decisions codified, with standing, timeline, and venue defined? | 1/1100.0% | § 101 codifies the right of appeal and grounds: 'the right of appeal belongs to anyone whose interest or right the decision infringes, and to every person who was a candidate and every party and joint list that filed a candidate application, on the ground that the decision is unlawful' — plus any eligible voter in the constituency may appeal on the ground that the election was conducted improperly. § 102 codifies that the appeal is made to the competent regional administrative court (lääninoikeus) within 14 days and must be handled urgently. § 105 codifies onward appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court. Comprehensive judicial-review framework codified. “Valitusoikeus on sillä, jonka etua tai oikeutta päätös loukkaa, sekä jokaisella vaaleissa ehdokkaana olleella henkilöllä ja ehdokashakemuksen antaneella puolueella ja yhteislistalla sillä perusteella, että päätös on lainvastainen.” | § view source 2026-05-20 |
Commission
40.0% · 2/5| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMM.1Statutory grounding of commissionIs the election commission's existence and core mandate set in the constitution (rather than statute alone, regulation, or executive order)? | 2/2100.0% | § 13 codifies the municipal central election committee (kunnan keskusvaalilautakunta): 'the council must appoint, for its term, a municipal central election committee' of 5 members + ≥5 deputies. § 14 codifies its quorum and working procedure. § 11 codifies the constituency committee (vaalipiirilautakunta), appointed by the State Provincial Office for each constituency. § 10 codifies the Ministry of Justice as supreme election authority. § 15 codifies polling committees. Comprehensive multi-tier statutory grounding of election commissions codified. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| COMM.2Multi-branch appointmentAre commission members appointed by multiple branches (legislature, judiciary, executive) such that no single branch unilaterally controls composition? | 0/10.0% | § 11 codifies that the constituency committee (vaalipiirilautakunta) is appointed by the State Provincial Office (lääninhallitus — executive), while § 13 codifies that the municipal central election committee is appointed by the municipal council (valtuusto — local legislative body). Appointment is thus distributed across executive and legislative bodies at different tiers, but a formal multi-branch (executive/legislative/judicial) appointment of a single national commission is not codified — within central government the Ministry of Justice is sole supreme authority (§ 10). | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| COMM.3Term protectionAre commissioner terms defined in statute with fixed length, staggered cycles, and statutory grounds for removal? | 0/10.0% | § 11 codifies a defined term for the constituency committee: 'its term continues until a new committee has been elected,' ensuring continuity across the electoral cycle. § 13 codifies that the municipal central election committee is appointed 'for the council's term.' Fixed/continuing terms are codified, but explicit removal-protection (cause-only dismissal) for committee members is not codified in Vaalilaki. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| COMM.4Political-balance requirementIs the commission's composition required by statute to be politically balanced (party-balanced, supermajority-confirmation, or independent appointment by judiciary)? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
Funding
0.0% · 0/4| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUND.1Independent funding lineIs the election authority's budget a separate statutory line item (not subject to mid-cycle reallocation by the executive branch alone)? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| FUND.2Multi-year funding cycleAre election infrastructure budgets set on a multi-year cycle (avoiding annual political renegotiation of election-administration money)? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| FUND.3Foreign funding prohibitionIs foreign-source funding of the election authority (and election administration vendors, where applicable) prohibited by statute? | 0/20.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
Staff Training
0.0% · 0/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAFF.1Career professional staffIs the election authority's career staff (professional employees, not political appointees) protected by civil-service or analogous merit-based statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| STAFF.2Mandatory trainingIs training for election officials and poll workers required by statute, with content and frequency defined? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
| STAFF.3Whistleblower protectionAre election-related whistleblower protections (for staff reporting irregularities) codified in statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-20 |
Vendor Oversight
50.0% · 2/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CERT.1Certification process codifiedIs the voting-equipment certification process (criteria, evaluators, timeline, public-comment period) codified in statute or regulation? | 0.5/150.0% | § 87 codifies the verification count (äänten tarkastuslaskenta): 'on the day after the election at 09:00 the constituency committee must begin verifying the ballots cast on election day and the tallies of the polling committees,' deciding which ballots count for candidates and which are invalid. § 88 codifies the summing of candidate vote totals. § 89 codifies the result-calculation method. Voting-system certification is not codified (Finland uses hand-counted paper ballots, no equipment); these provisions codify the result-verification process instead. | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| CERT.2Recertification triggersAre recertification triggers (after material updates, after defects discovered, on a fixed schedule) codified? | 0.5/150.0% | § 143 codifies that on a presidential candidate's — or the President-elect's — permanent incapacity or death, 'the election of the President must be undertaken anew.' § 189 codifies postponement of the election date. § 39/§ 40 codify re-resolution of candidate applications. Re-certification / re-run triggers codified, though not voting-system recertification (not applicable to a paper regime). | § view source 2026-05-20 |
| CERT.3Decertification grounds & procedureAre the grounds for revoking certification, and the procedure for doing so, defined in statute? | 0.5/150.0% | § 85 codifies grounds of ballot invalidity (äänestyslipun mitättömyys): a ballot is invalid if the electoral envelope contains more than one ballot or something other than one ballot, if the ballot or envelope bears an unauthorized marking, if the candidate number is illegible, etc. § 40 codifies post-resolution decisions on candidate applications. Decertification of ballots codified; voting-system decertification not applicable (paper-only). | § view source 2026-05-20 |