by The county and municipalities elections are on the 13th, and advance voting opened today.
- In the county elections, voters will elect representatives for county councils. County councils decide on the organisation and provision of health and social services and rescue services in wellbeing services counties.
- In the municipal elections, voters will elect representatives for municipal councils. Municipal councils decide on the activities and finances of municipalities.
I voted while running errands today!
This is the first ever double election, and it was just as easy as single elections are! No confusion or problems at all. The process was the same, just instead of one slip there were two.
I had some trouble selecting a who to vote for this time. I’ve got my Party chosen decades ago (Left Alliance) but this time I had decided that I wasn’t going to vote for anyone who is a congressman(person?) already and well, that decision took all the candidates I know more than just the name of out of the pool! But I dislike that the same person can be a congressman and also hold the county council membership as well the municipal council membership. I believe that it just isn’t possible to do good work in all three roles, and that allowing holding all three roles also makes political power congregate in fewer hands. So I decided to vote different candidates for each role, and neither may be a congressman.
I also had a lot of trouble mustering enthusiasm for the county elections at all even though it’s very important election because technically the council will decide what public healthcare and social services are offered. But the reality is that the Orpo government while dismantling the welfare state is dictating their decisions for them by cutting the budgets left, right and center and even dictating which hospitals or open-at-night ERs are to be shutdown. Decisions that politicians don’t have the know-how to make, and which should be made by the concerned wellbeing services counties themselves who know the situation in their own county and population. The wellbeing services counties can’t tax and they can’t truly decide where and how to use the money government gives them, so why bother voting? There’s been news that a notable number of the first term council members aren’t running again, because they are so frustrated that the council is basically acting as Orpo and Purra’s rubber stamp on decisions the council itself has had no say in.
But I managed to find someone to vote for, and voted, so I’ve done my civic duty!
