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County elections: documentation of statistics

16.4.2024 valid documentation

Basic data of the statistics

Data description

Statistics Finland produces official statistics on the County elections containing key data on the candidates, elected councillors, those entitled to vote, those who voted and support gained by the parties. The statistics pages on the County elections also contain analyses on the backgrounds of the candidates and elected councillors as well as on those who voted.

Statistical presentation

County elections are held every four years, starting from 2025 at the same time as the municipal elections. Statistics Finland produces official statistics on the County elections. The preliminary statistics are published in the StatFin online service and on the statistics pages on the County elections as soon as possible after the election night. The final data are supplied to Statistics Finland after the election result is confirmed. After the confirmation of the election result, the confirmed data corresponding to the preliminary statistics are released on the statistics pages and the StatFin databases are updated.

Statistics Finland receives basic election data from the Ministry of Justice's election information system. Statistics Finland's election data system comprises four election data files: regional file, party file, candidate file and candidate register.

Statistical population

The population of the statistics is the candidates nominated for the elections and persons entitled to vote in the elections.
 

Statistical unit

Statistical units are:
- candidate (person)
- elected councillor (person)
- party
- person entitled to vote (person)
 

Unit of measure

The measurement units in the statistics are the number of persons (candidates, elected councillors and persons entitled to vote), the number of votes cast and the number of persons who voted, as well as the percentage shares.
 

Base period

No indices are published in the statistics.
 

Reference period

The statistics describe the year 2022 (January).
 

Reference area

The data cover Mainland Finland, except for Helsinki, on the level of the wellbeing services counties, municipalities and voting districts.
 

Sector coverage

The data produced in the statistics do not have any connection with economic activities and therefore do not cover them at all.
 

Time coverage

The data in the statistics cover only the time of the elections concerned.

Data published after the recount of votes are final.
 

Frequency of dissemination

The frequency of dissemination of the data depends on the frequency of elections. County elections are held at four-year intervals, so the dissemination frequency of the statistics is every four years. If the elections are held in a different schedule, the distribution frequency of the statistics also corresponds with the schedule for arranging the elections.

Accuracy, reliability and timeliness

Overall accuracy

The main possible sources of error in the statistics are errors in the source data or errors in the processing of the data.
 

Timeliness

In terms of preliminary data, the delay between the event described by the data and access to the data is one to two days. The delay between the final, confirmed data and access to the data is usually less than one week.

The delay between the data released on the candidates and the availability of data is usually around two weeks, the time lag between the background data published on voting turnout and the availability of data is usually two to four weeks, and it takes several weeks to a few months to complete the data on sex.

Given the exceptional nature of the statistics, not only in terms of the phenomenon described but also in terms of the time dependency of the phenomenon, external factors affecting the mid-week holidays of the year in question, etc. may affect the delay between access to the data and the phenomenon.
 

Punctuality

As regards the County elections 2022, the data were produced and published within the planned timetable.

Comparability

Comparability - geographical

Within the country, different regions are comparable so that the legislation affecting the phenomenon is consistent.

The statistics are comparable between different countries to such extent that at the general level the statistics describe the selection of representatives related to the country's regional democracy. The practices, structures and legislation of different countries differ considerably in this respect, which affects the comparability of the data.
 

Comparability - over time

The County elections are held for the first time in January 2022, so the statistics do not have a temporal point of reference before the next County elections that will be held in 2025.
 

Coherence - cross domain

There are no other statistics relating to the matter and no other statistics are produced on it.
 

Source data and data collections

Source data

The data set is based on administrative sources.
 

Data collection

The data are obtained from different registers. The main source of the data is the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Register Centre operating under it. The voting register is obtained through the Ministry of Justice, its original source is the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

Established practices exist for the delivery of data to Statistics Finland between the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Register Centre. The details of the delivery of the material are always separately agreed for each election.

The data are delivered to Statistics Finland as line transfer.

There are well-established practices for delivering the data to Statistics Finland between the Ministry of Justice, the Legal Register Centre and TietoEVRY, which is responsible for the technical implementation of the election information system. The details of data delivery are always agreed on in connection with each election.

The data are delivered to Statistics Finland as line transfer.

Frequency of data collection

Basic data are collected in connection with the County elections, i.e. normally every four years.
 

Methods

Data compilation

In the statistics, the data are processed by summing them. The statistics on the phenomenon described in the statistics do not require editing or imputation, for example.
 

Data validation

The data are validated in the production process by comparing the data with data published by other data producers and by examining the internal logic of the data.
 

Principles and outlines

Contact organisation

Statistics Finland

Contact organisation unit

Social Statistics Department

Legal acts and other agreements

The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics. 

Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.  

Further information: Statistical legislation 


The compilation of statistics is guided by the general act of the national statistical service, the Statistics Act (280/2004, amend. 361/2013). Only the data necessary that are not available from administrative data sources are collected from data suppliers. Index series are published so that no individual enterprise’s data or development can be deduced from them.
 

Confidentiality - policy

The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed in accordance with the requirements of the Statistics Act (280/2004), the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act (1050/2018). The data materials are protected at all stages of processing with the necessary physical and technical solutions. Statistics Finland has compiled detailed directions and instructions for confidential processing of the data. Employees have access only to the data essential for their duties. The premises where unit-level data are processed are not accessible to outsiders. Members of the personnel have signed a pledge of secrecy upon entering the service. Violation of data protection is punishable. 

Confidentiality - data treatment

In the statistics, data from voting districts where the number of persons entitled to vote/the number of voters remains below a specified threshold are protected. In the case of such voting districts, persons entitled to vote/persons who voted in the area in question are presented in connection with another voting district in the same municipality.
 

Release policy

Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data are public after they have been updated in the web service. 


 

Data sharing

The data are not shared between other statistical offices or units.
 

Accessibility and clarity

Statistical data are published as database tables in the StatFin database. The database is the primary publishing site of data, and new data are updated first there. When releasing statistical data, existing database tables can be updated with new data or completely new database tables can be published.   

In addition to statistical data published in the StatFin database, a release on the key data is usually published in the web service. If the release contains data concerning several reference periods (e.g. monthly and annual data), a review bringing together these data is published in the web service. Database tables updated at the time of publication are listed both in the release and in the review. In some cases, statistical data can also be published as mere database releases in the StatFin database. No release or review is published in connection with these database releases. 

Releases and database tables are published in three languages, in Finnish, Swedish and English. The language versions of releases may have more limited content than in Finnish.   

Information about changes in the publication schedules of releases and database tables and about corrections are given as change releases in the web service. 


 

Data revision - policy

Revisions – i.e. improvements in the accuracy of statistical data already published – are a normal feature of statistical production and result in improved quality of statistics. The principle is that statistical data are based on the best available data and information concerning the statistical phenomenon. On the other hand, the revisions are communicated as transparently as possible in advance. Advance communication ensures that the users can prepare for the data revisions. 

The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before. 

Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data. 

Relevance

When compiling the statistics, the needs of users are taken into account as far as possible.
 

User needs

The key users of the statistics are citizens, the media, organisations, political actors (candidates, representatives, political parties) and research institutes.
 

Quality assessment

The quality of the statistics on County elections is assessed continuously in connection with the statistics’ production. The produced data are compared with the data produced by other data producers and the materials and the produced data are controlled for logic.
 

Quality assurance

Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The quality management framework of the field of statistics is the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP). The frameworks complement each other. The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are also compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice. 

User access

Data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may only be handled at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published. 

Further information: Publication principles for statistics 

Unless otherwise separately stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer of the data and the owner of the copyright. The terms of use for statistical data. 


 

Statistical experts

Service email
vaalit@stat.fi
Sami Fredriksson
Senior Statistician
029 551 2696

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