A growing number of studies suggest that poor health decreases a person’s tendency to vote. Using data set that combines register-based information on sickness allowances from 1996–1998 and 2008–2010 with voting information from the Finnish parliamentary elections of 1999 and 2011, we aim to deepen the understanding of the health-turnout relationship by examining two sets of questions. The first one concerns the severity or cumulative effect of health problems. What is the degree of health problems that begin to negatively influence turnout? Is even a short-term sick leave harmful or does a person need to suffer from frequent or long-lasting health problems? The second question relates to the temporal dimension of the effect of health problems turnout. How far from the election day health problems can occur in order to decrease voting propensity? Could illness dating back several months or even years prior to elections have an effect?
