A Model Democracy? The Quiet Success and Subtle Flaws of Finland's 2025 Elections

from Observations · host Democracy Volunteers

Finland’s 2025 local elections have been praised as “extremely well-run” by international observers, with high marks for accessibility, professionalism, and voter experience at polling stations. But beneath the surface of this democratic success story lie quieter concerns—issues like family voting, unsealed ballot boxes, and confusing ballot designs—that could threaten voter trust if left unaddressed.In this episode, Matt Davis speaks to Dr. John Ault to unpack the findings from Democracy Volunteers’ latest election observation mission, exploring how even the world’s most trusted electoral systems have room to improve. What does it mean for a democracy to be both admired and imperfect—and how can Finland lead by example?

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 8, 2025

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

A Model Democracy? The Quiet Success and Subtle Flaws of Finland's 2025 Elections

0:00 23:51

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

Americast BBC News Insight and analysis on what's happening inside Donald Trump's White House. Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s social media investigation correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher. As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rac Armstrong & Getty Podcast 560 KSFO The hugely popular weekday The Armstrong & Getty Show is wildly entertaining, informative and laugh-out-loud funny, with a mixture of political commentary, observations on local, national, and international news and reflections on social issues. Armstrong and Getty’s comedic delivery, great guests, and super-charged on-air personas have made The Armstrong & Getty Show a morning addiction for Bay Area talk radio listeners.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Observations?

This episode is 23 minutes long.

When was this Observations episode published?

This episode was published on July 8, 2025.

Can I download this Observations episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!