From the beginning of 2023, responsibility for organizing social and health care and rescue services will be transferred from municipalities and joint municipal authorities to welfare regions. The first regional elections in history will be held in January, where a regional council will be elected to decide, among other things, how health and elderly care and social services will be organized in the future.

The regional council of the Satakunta welfare area, elected in the regional elections, will be responsible for organizing social and health services and rescue services in the whole of Satakunta in the future. Currently, social and health services in Kankaanpää are provided by the North Satakunta Basic Services Municipal Federation (PoSa), but in the future, responsibility for organizing social and health services in Kankaanpää will lie with the Satakunta welfare area.

The regional council's tasks include deciding on the use of funds allocated to the welfare area. The funds for welfare areas mainly come from the state. In addition, the regional council decides on, for example, the welfare area and service strategy, the principles of the service network, the level of service for rescue services, the welfare area's budget and plan, and the election of members to the institutions.

69 decision-makers will be elected to the regional council of the Satakunta welfare region. The council's term of office lasts four years. In the future, regional elections will be held simultaneously with municipal elections.

You can vote even while shopping

Voting in regional elections is worthwhile, as the Satakunta Regional Council makes decisions about services that all residents of Kankaanpää use several times during their lives.

– It is important that one's locality has the best possible representation in the regional council, so that in decision-making on social and health issues, issues that are important to the residents of Kankaanpää can be emphasized, clarifies the Director of Administration and Human Resources of the City of Kankaanpää Anna Vanhahonko.

Early voting for the regional elections will be held from 12 to 18 January. The early voting locations are the Kankaanpää S-Market and K-Citymarket and the Honkajoki Government Office Building. In addition, several institutions offer early voting. The actual election day is Sunday 23 January, and the voting locations are the Impivaara Daycare Centre, the Kankaapääsali Hall and the Honkajoki Government Office Building.

– The advance voting stations are located where the residents of the municipality usually move around, so you can vote even while going about your daily business. The aim of the placement of the polling stations is to increase voting activity. In addition, the extended opening hours and more advance voting stations aim to guarantee a health-safe voting opportunity when it is most convenient for the voter, says Vanhahonko.

The establishment of welfare regions and regional councils is part of the social and health care reform. The aim of the social and health care reform is, among other things, to harmonise social and health services in Finland, improve access to services and narrow the welfare and health disparities between Finns.

The exact voting times and locations for the regional elections can be found here. From the Kankaanpää website.