Election fever at the University of Paderborn: This is how to cast your vote electronically!

Election fever at the University of Paderborn: This is how to cast your vote electronically!

The University of Paderborn calls on its members to take part in the upcoming elections, which represent a central part of university political life. From May 26th, 9:30 a.m. to June 2nd, 12 p.m., members eligible to vote can cast their votes. These elections include elections to the Senate, to the faculty councils of the five faculties, to the student parliament as well as to the directly elected student council bodies, including the student councils and student councils. The relevant election announcements are digitally viewable.

The submission of election proposals begins on April 8th and ends on April 25th at 12 p.m. in the election office B3.246. The required election nomination forms are available on the university's website. The elections themselves will be conducted electronically. Further information on the processes and technical requirements will be provided via email, notices and the websites. If you have any questions, students can contact the student election management and the election office.

Online voting process and voting

Voting takes place via the IMT service portal of the University of Paderborn. To do this, voters must follow the following steps: First, log in to the IMT service portal, followed by clicking on “Go to election portal”, which is open from the start of the election. Once the “affidavit” has been confirmed, voting can take place. The voting decisions must be made and a verification of the vote is required before it is bindingly cast. After submitting, voters will receive automatic confirmation. Logging out of the IMT service portal is recommended to minimize security risks, explained stupa.uni-paderborn.de.

The online elections are a regular event at the University of Paderborn, which are intended to promote student participation and increase voter turnout. A look at the past electoral periods shows that the elections to the student parliament and the student councils are important annual events.

Legal framework for online elections

The legal framework for conducting online elections at universities is regulated by specific state laws. In almost all federal states there is a legal basis that allows universities to carry out electronic elections based on their statutory autonomy. In 2013, the Thuringia Higher Administrative Court decided that no explicit authorization in the state higher education law was required to hold online elections. Universities can also issue their own electoral regulations based on the general authorization norm, as is the case in Baden-Württemberg, for example. The Ministry of Science, Research and Art in this federal state has confirmed the admissibility of online elections and emphasizes that the use of professional voting systems enables reliable implementation, as shown polyas.de is presented.

In some federal states, such as Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, universities are encouraged to develop electoral regulations that promote high voter turnout. Different regulations exist in Bavaria, where only personal voting and postal voting are currently permitted. Nevertheless, the amended Higher Education Act in Bavaria has also enabled regulations for elections via basic regulations since spring 2020. The important regulatory authority of the universities is preserved by the predominant permission for online elections in most federal states.