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Voter turnout is plummeting: students and doctoral candidates are voting again
The elections at the University of Freiburg for the Senate and the Faculty Councils have been completed. Results, voter turnout and new members have been determined.
Voter turnout is plummeting: students and doctoral candidates are voting again
On July 4, 2025, the results of the elections for the Senate and the Faculty Councils at the University of Freiburg were published. Overall voter turnout was only 7.4 percent, which represents a decline compared to the previous year. What is particularly striking is the low participation rate among doctoral students, which was only 4.6 percent. In contrast, 7.7 percent of students voted. This is a significant decline, as in 2024 a voter turnout of 11.2 percent among students and 6.9 percent among doctoral students was achieved.
The elected members of the Senate from the group of students consist of five people from the Juso university group and the student council list - academic substructure. The following candidates were elected: Jon Pfister and Sophie Könnemund from the Jusos as well as Julia Heimlich, Max Florian Petzold and Josefine Krasenbrink from the student council list. Among the registered doctoral students, Daria Petrovska, Brendan Dylan Wouterlood and Louis Ehmann were elected, all with a joint proposal from the doctoral student representation in the Senate and the Graduate School.
Election structure and processes
Elections for the Senate and the Faculty Councils take place every summer semester. There are two different electoral groups in the status group of students: the undergraduate students and the enrolled doctoral students. The term of office of the elected members is one year. The Senate, which represents all areas of the university, also includes members of the Rectorate, deans and equal opportunities representatives as well as legal advisors to the Rector and representatives of the student body who take part in the meetings.
An important point is that in the elections of the Faculty Councils a similar role is played to that of the Senate at the faculty level. As a rule, four to eight members must be elected for the faculty councils. In the current year, by-elections are necessary for the faculty councils of the Faculty of Theology and Medicine, as new members are needed due to staff changes during the term of office.
Low voter turnout and future challenges
Despite the low voter turnout, events such as the university election make it clear that participation in academic elections has declined recently. Compared to important social elections, such as the European or Bundestag elections, voter turnout at universities is significantly lower. This raises questions about how to increase voter turnout in future elections.
The deadlines for the next election have already been set. The electoral roll can be viewed from April 30 to May 7, 2025, while the deadline for submitting declarations of candidacy and nominations is May 9, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. It remains to be seen how universities will respond to the challenges of low voter turnout and what strategies will be developed to increase the engagement of students and doctoral candidates in academic committees.
The recent elections show that it is not just about the selection of representatives, but also about actively shaping university culture and politics.