LRC's elections helpline supporting citizens during the spring double elections
At the office of the Legal Register Centre (LRC), cheerful chatter fills the air as interns working at the elections helpline, also known as citizen advisory service, answer calls from citizens. Some of them are focused on writing email responses on their computers.
The elections helpline, part of the Elections and Other Democracy Services unit, advises voters on election-related questions. During the spring 2025 county and municipal elections, citizens are served in three languages through various channels: by phone, via WhatsApp, and by email.
Providing phone services to voters remains important. Especially older voters may not always have access to the internet or know where to find information about the elections. In these cases, voters usually dial LRC's free number, which is easily available.
"Even though the world is becoming digital, there will still be a need for phone services. For many, the phone is still the fastest and easiest way to get answers to questions," says Anniina Tjurin, the system manager leading the unit.
Thousands of calls
LRC's elections helpline has been operating in all elections since 2011. There has been a steady demand for multichannel citizen advisory services, and during the 2024 presidential election, the helpline received a record number of calls, over 5,000.
In this spring's double elections, the number of calls is expected to be lower due to a lower voter turnout. The highest number of calls is expected on Sunday, April 13, as many citizens still vote on election day.
The election team usually recruits students from social sciences fields as helpline operators, some of whom may already have prior knowledge of election procedures. Some may have also served as election officials before.
With such a background, political science student Iida Sunell and law student Helmi Kujanpää became interested in university internships at the elections helpline. Both have previously served as election officials.
"Working in different stages of the election process has been interesting and it also helps in the work of a helpline operator," say Sunell and Kujanpää.
LRC's election team experts provide comprehensive training at the beginning of the work period and assist helpline operators in challenging situations.
"Where can I vote on election day?"
Before the official election day, the most common questions concern registering for home voting and missing notification cards. During the advance voting period there are many questions about voting locations and their schedules, as well as other practical matters at the voting location.
On election day, the most common question is about the voting location, as voting can only take place at the location specified in the voting rights notification. The voting rights notification is sent to eligible voters either by mail or electronically. Already about 1.5 million eligible voters have subscribed to receive official notifications electronically, and the voting rights notification is sent to them via Suomi.fi messages.
Working at the elections helpline offers a broad overview of the election process and its implementation. Helpline operators praise their work as meaningful.
"The most memorable calls are those where I can help customers understand the entire voting process better. This helps them vote with more confidence, and they are often very grateful for the assistance," says helpline operator Aurora Ijäs.
Her colleague Joonas Savolainen agrees. "It's great to feel that my work supports people's participation and promotes the smooth implementation of democracy. Working at the elections helpline has been very rewarding," says Savolainen.
Do you have questions about the elections or voting? Contact the elections helpline:
Free service number for voters:
0800 9 4770 (Finnish and English)
0800 9 4771 (Swedish and English)
WhatsApp messaging service: 050 438 8730
Service number opening hours: April 10–13: weekdays 8 AM–8 PM and weekends 9 AM–6 PM On election day, April 13: 8 AM–8 PM
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The Legal Register Centre serves as the controller for the key registers of the Ministry of Justice's administrative branch and enforcer of financial sanctions. We at LRC are also responsible for the development and maintenance of the judicial administration's information systems and function as the central IT procurement unit for the administrative branch.
Published 10.4.2025