ABOUT ELECTIONS AT AU - frequently asked questions

This is what it means:

What is an "uncontested election"?

An uncontested election means that it is not necessary to hold a vote.

There is no need to vote if the number of candidates who have been nominated does not exceed the number of mandates within a single representation area.

The Election Committee declares the candidates on the list to be elected in the order listed. Non-elected candidates are regarded as substitutes for the elected candidates.

What is a "contested election"?

A contested election is when it is possible to vote for different candidates.

If several candidate lists have been received with more than the number of candidates to be elected, there is always a contested election. If only one candidate list has been received, but with more candidates than the number to be elected, a contested election is also held if the list is unprioritised.  

What does "cancellation of election" mean?

The election is cancelled if, within a particular representation area, a candidate list has not been submitted before the specified deadline. 

A cancelled election means that there are no elected representatives. For members of academic staff, it is therefore necessary to hold a draw to decide which employees will sit on the body. This is because employees are under a contractual obligation to serve as members of the university's governing bodies. In the case of students, it is not possible to appoint representatives, but you can choose to appoint observers without voting rights.

What are list pacts and electoral pacts?

It is possible to make list pacts and electoral pacts in university elections.

List pacts and electoral pacts allow candidate lists and parties to cooperate in elections for their mutual benefit.

A list pact is an agreement made between candidate lists with the same ideology to minimise wasted votes and to maximise the number of seats that go to the candidate lists in the pact. In municipal elections, list pacts are typically made when a party in the municipality has multiple voter associations, each with its own candidate list. When determining the result of an election in which two or more candidate lists have made a list pact, the list pact is treated as one candidate list for the purposes of distributing seats. Seats are then distributed among the candidate lists in the pact. For example, two or more of the Student Council’s candidate lists (e.g. one from NAT/TECH and one from ARTS) may enter into a list pact during elections to the AU Board.

An electoral pact is an agreement made between political parties or candidate lists in order to minimise wasted votes and to maximise the number of seats that go to the parties in the electoral pact. Originally, the idea behind electoral pacts was to allow small parties to win seats that they would be unable to win individually. When determining the result of an election in which two or more parties have made an electoral pact, the electoral pact is treated as one party for the purposes of distributing seats. Seats are then distributed among the list pacts in the electoral pact, after which they are distributed among the individual candidate lists. For example, Frit Forum (Free forum) and Konservative Studenter (Conservative students) may enter into an electoral pact during elections to the AU Board.

List pacts and electoral pacts for AU elections must be set up online in the E-vote election system.

What is the difference between a "non-ranked" list and a "ranked" list?

You can stand for election on a list of candidates on which all candidates are ranked the same or on which they are ranked in order of priority.

  • Candidates on a non-ranked list compete between themselves for votes on an equal footing.
  • On a ranked list, the candidates at the top of the list will typically be elected first.

What does "election by lot" mean?

In the event that no candidate list have been submitted for the election or there are not enough candidates for a particular seat, such as board of studies member, lots will be draw. Both part-time and full-time academic staff and technical/administrative staff  have a duty to serve on collegial organs and governing bodies if so directed. This means that the Election Committee can fill such seats by drawing lots among the staff members eligible to serve on the body in question.


Questions regarding the procedure:

How often are university elections held?

At AU, we hold ordinary elections once a year – at the end of November. In addition, by-elections may be held in the course of the year.

University elections take place electronically. You can vote via: www.au.dk/election

What does my degree programme/position entitle me to vote for?

Your employment or your education determines your right to vote in the election.

See what you can vote here.

Who can I vote for?

Election lists and candidates will be published at www.au.dk/election before the election.

See the current  election schedule for the exact date

How do I check my voter registration?

1. Check your voting rights in the election system:

To check your voting rights, log on to the election system with your AUID and self-service password (WAYF). 

The link to the login page is visible on the front page of www.au.dk/elections when it is possible to check the voting rights.

When you have logged on the election system, you can see which bodies you can vote for and when.

Go directly to the login page in the election system

2. Check your voting rights by the deadline:

It is important that you check your voting rights well in advance of the start of the set-up period, so that it is possible to get it corrected. Otherwise, you risk voting/standing for the wrong representation area.

You will receive an email in your AU mailbox from the election secretariat, when you can check your voting rights in the E-election system. Then you have approx. one week to check your voting rights. The deadline for drawing attention to errors (the deadline for objections) is evident in the email, in the e-election system and in the current schedule.

3. If you find errors:

If you have any objections regarding what is registered about you and your voting rights, you must contact the election secretariat as soon as possible within the deadline for objections. You can also fill in an "objection form". The form must be sent to the election secretariat by email: valg@au.dk.

The set-up period and thus the deadline for objections fluctuates slightly from year to year. See the deadline for objections in the current time schedule. However, errors will be corrected as long as it is practically possible.

What rules apply to the choice of name for the candidate lists?

The name of the list must not indicate which sub-election the candidate list concerns.

For example, you may not call your list "board of studies for XXX" or "Department of XXX". Nor may you use a well-known abbreviation for this.

How do I stand for election?

The E-election system E-vote enables electronic notification of candidates
You will find a guide to notifying candidates for elections in E-vote here

If you are interested in standing as a candidate, you should first check your eligibility for the body in question (council/board/committee). If your name is on the current election list, you can stand for election.

In the election circular, you can see the period in which candidate lists can be submitted for the election. This is usually a period of 4-7 days in the middle of October (fluctuates slightly from year to year).

See all forms here.

What if my name appears incorrectly on the election list?

Fill in the objection form for election lists and send the signed form to the Elections Secretary: valg@au.dk

See all forms here

Counting votes and allocation of seats

The votes are counted in the electronic election system. When counting the votes, the D’Hondt method is used: Counting and allocation example

When can I see the election results?

The results will be published at www.au.dk/election as soon as possible after the election.

See election schedule.


Questions to the vote and voting system:

How to vote

You want to vote electronically via www.au.dk/election during the election period.

You log on to the system with your AUID and password for WAYF.

See 'how to' video: https://fb.watch/gEKq5xZS6r/

You cannot vote by post or vote on paper.

How can I log on the electronic voting system?

You can vote electronically via www.au.dk/election during the election period.

You log on to the system with your:

  • AUID number (AUXXXXXX)
  • password for Self-service (mit.au.dk).

Can other people see what I voted?

No. It is just like an ordinary election. The people responsible for the election can see that you have voted, but not what you have voted.

All communication between your electronic device and the election system is encrypted, so nobody else can see what you voted.

Who can I get in touch with if the system doesn’t work?

Please contact The Election Secretariat.

Do I get a receipt?

Both the voting module, the Master’s module and the association module have links that enable the user to see their own data in E-valg. The function generates an HTML file that the user can open or save.

I think I’ve detected cheating/hackers, etc.

Please contact The Election Secretary.

What happens if the system “goes down”?

There is an emergency plan for holding the election.

If the e-vote system “goes down” and the election can no longer be held electronically, a decision will be made regarding the continued process.

If there is a prolonged breakdown you will be able to read more at www.au.dk/election.