Youth Council elections attract 50 candidates: elections to be held electronically again

The candidate list for the Youth Council elections is available at www.vaasa.fi/en/vaasa-youth-council. The elections will take place from 5 to 7 November 2024. Young people from Vaasa in 7th grade or above, and up to 20 years old, are eligible to vote.

– We had an excellent turnout of candidates for the elections. Members of the Youth Council toured schools in August and September to present their activities, and already then there was a great interest in the Youth Council, says Youth Coordinator Ari Kupari from the City of Vaasa Youth Services.

Voting will take place in schools from 5–6 November and at Kultsa on 7 November

The elections will take place in November through electronic voting. According to Kupari, Vaasa’s Youth Council elections will be held electronically for the third time running.

– Voting will take place electronically in schools from 5 to 6 November, and all eligible pupils will receive an e-mail link to cast their votes. On the third day of the election, 7 November, it will still be possible to vote in person at Youth Centre Kultsa.

All eligible young people who did not vote electronically at school, as well as those who are not enrolled in any educational institution, can vote at Youth Centre Kultsa. The polling station in Kultsa will be open from 17.00 to 20.00 on 7 November 2024.

Active Youth Council

A representative of the Youth Council has the right to attend and speak at city council meetings as well as at the meetings of five of the city’s boards. Their role is to make young people’s voices heard, take a stand on current issues and put forward initiatives and opinions.

– During its current term of office, the Youth Council has actively taken a stand on a number of issues affecting young people. The right to attend and speak in the City Council has also made the voices of young people more heard, says Kupari.

The Youth Council has also organised various events that have reached many young people. One of the highlights of the current term was the Union of Local Youth Councils in Finland’s ‘Activity Days’ held in Vaasa in the spring, which brought together youth councillors from across Finland for training.

Fairer elections: no more quota seats for schools

A new feature of the current elections is that schools no longer have quota seats on the Youth Council. An amendment to the Youth Council’s rules of procedure was adopted in the spring term, removing the quota seats for schools.

– In previous elections, certain schools had quota seats, but the Youth Council felt they no longer served their purpose. The quota seats were primarily designated for the largest schools, which have typically had a large number of candidates anyway. The Youth Council felt that removing the quotas would create a more equitable opportunity for all candidates to run for a seat, says Kupari.

A total of 22 regular members and 10 substitutes are elected to the Youth Council. Youth Council elections are held every two years.