vaalijärjestelmällä

Vaalijärjestelmällä refers to the electoral system used in Finland for parliamentary elections. It is a proportional representation system, specifically a list-based system with open lists. Voters cast their ballots for a candidate within a political party's list in their designated electoral district. The number of seats a party receives in the Eduskunta (Finnish Parliament) is determined by its total vote share across the country.

Once a party's seat allocation is decided, the individual candidates within that party are ranked based on the number of votes they received. The candidates with the most votes for that party fill the allocated seats. This open-list system allows voters to express a preference for a specific candidate, influencing not only the party's overall success but also which of its candidates are elected.

Finland is divided into electoral districts, and the number of parliamentary seats allocated to each district is proportional to its population. This system aims to ensure that the composition of Parliament reflects the overall voting preferences of the electorate as accurately as possible. The goal of proportional representation is to minimize wasted votes and allow for a wider range of political viewpoints to be represented in the legislature. Vaalijärjestelmällä is a key component of Finnish democracy.