Election rules of the University of Aarhus

In accordance with Article 36 of the Rules and Regulations of the University of Aarhus, the Board has determined the following:

Election procedure

 Article 1. The rector is responsible for ensuring that elections are held.

(2) The rector determines the detailed rules for the elections and the corresponding deadlines, and is responsible for planning and holding elections for the Board, academy councils, PhD committees, boards of studies, etc. The rector decides whether elections are to be centralised or decentralised.

(3) The rector can appoint an election committee with representatives from the academic staff, the technical and administrative staff, and the students. The rector appoints the chairman of the committee and can authorise the chairman to handle tasks on the rector’s behalf in accordance with this election procedure.

Provisions relating to individual bodies

Article 2. The rules relating to the length of the election periods, voting rights and eligibility for the Board are set out in Article 9 of the Rules and Regulations of the University of Aarhus.

(2) The rules relating to the length of the election periods, voting rights and eligibility for other collegial bodies are set out in Articles 7–10.

Time of election, deadline, commencement

Article 3. Ordinary elections are held during the autumn term. The deadline for determining who has voting rights and eligibility is 1 October. Elected bodies commence work on 1 February.

Election circular

Article 4. The university prepares an election circular containing the most important rules and deadlines for the elections. The election circular is announced publicly and in any other appropriate manner.

(2) The election circular must include rules regarding the following:

-         the individual bodies, election areas and number of mandates

-         the length of the election periods

-         conditions for voting rights and eligibility

-         deadline for submitting election lists

-         deadline for objections to election lists

-         rules and deadline for nomination of candidates and lists

-         deadline for entering into list pacts and electoral pacts

-         deadline for announcing the nomination of candidates

-         deadline for objections to the nomination of candidates

-         date and time for holding elections

-         form of voting

-         voting locations

-         counting of votes

-         date and time for announcing election results

-         deadline for complaints regarding elections.

Election groups

Article 5. The electorate is divided into five election groups:

Election group I (full-time academic staff and teachers) comprises staff members working 18 ¹ / ₂ hours per week or more in positions covered by the ministry’s memorandum on the position structure for academic staff, and not defined in the memorandum as part-time positions. Clinical professors and clinical associate professors are considered the equivalent of full-time academic staff whose main job is at the university. Clinical teachers in odontology, including senior clinical instructors in dentistry working a minimum of 15 hours per week are considered the equivalent of full-time academic staff whose main job is at the university. The election group comprises staff members covered by the position structure for academic staff with research tasks at sector research institutions. The election group comprises staff members covered by the position structure relating to the graduate engineer and export engineer degree programmes, as well as staff members employed in accordance with the rules for assistant and associate professors working with the business administration and language degree programmes taught at the Aarhus School of Business departments.

Election group II (part-time academic staff and teachers) comprises other staff members covered by the ministry’s memorandum on the position structure for academic staff, and whose employment involves a minimum of 100 salaried hours during the term in which the election is called, or 200 salaried hours in all during the academic year in question.

Election group III (technical and administrative staff) comprises all technical and administrative staff members working an agreed minimum of 18 ¹ / ₂ hours per week.

Election group IV (students) comprises students enrolled at the university in full-time degree programmes. PhD students who do not fall under election group I because of their employment situation belong to election group IV.

Election group V (part-time students) comprises students enrolled at the university in part-time degree programmes.

Election lists, voting rights and eligibility

Article 6. The rector prepares election lists of individuals entitled to vote and eligible for election. The election lists are presented for inspection to enable any objections to be made before the deadline. After expiry of the period allowed for objections, changes to the election lists cannot be called for, but the rector can correct actual errors in the lists as far as is practically possible.

(2) Individuals who fall under one of the groups mentioned in Article 5 – and are included in the election list on 1 October and at the time the election is held – are entitled to vote and are eligible for election to collegial bodies to the extent stipulated in Article 9 of the Rules and Regulations and Articles 7–10 of these election rules. However, individuals in election group IV who are on leave on 1 October or on the date the election is held are not eligible.

(3) Individuals who are on leave on 1 October or on the date of the election are not included in the election lists.

Bodies

 

Academy councils

Article 7. Representatives of the academic staff, including PhD students employed at the university, are elected by and from among the full-time employees (election group I) for a period of four years.

(2) Student representatives are elected by and from among the students enrolled in full-time degree programmes (election group IV) for a period of one year.

PhD committees

Article 8. Representatives of the academic staff, except PhD students employed at the university, are elected by and from among the full-time employees (election group I) for a period of three years.

(2) PhD student representatives are elected by and from among the PhD students (election group IV) for a period of one year. Salaried PhD students who are part of the group of full-time academic staff members (election group I) have the status of students as far as the appointment to PhD committees is concerned.

(3) PhD committees consist of representatives of the academic staff and PhD students. The number of members and the composition of the committees are determined by the dean when the committee is appointed and can be changed after a hearing of the PhD committee in question.

Boards of studies

Article 9. Representatives of the academic staff on boards of studies are elected for three years at a time by and from among the teachers (election group I) teaching subjects within the area of the board of studies concerned, cf. (4) below.

(2) Student representatives on boards of studies are elected for one year at a time by and from among the students (election group IV) studying within the area of the board of studies concerned, cf. (5) below.

(3) Boards of studies consist of an equal number of representatives of the academic staff and students. The number of members is determined by the dean when the committee is appointed, and can be changed after a hearing of the board of studies in question.

(4) Upon the recommendation of the dean, who consults the board of studies in question, the rector can decide whether part-time teachers should have voting rights and eligibility and, if so, whether they should constitute a separate area of representation.

(5) After consulting the board of studies in question, the dean can decide whether students enrolled in part-time degree programmes should have voting rights and eligibility and, if so, whether they should constitute a separate area of representation.

Election areas

Article 10. The election areas for each election group correspond to the areas of the individual bodies unless otherwise decided in accordance with (2) below.

(2) Upon the recommendation of the dean, the rector can decide that an election area for an academy council, one of the faculty’s boards of studies or PhD committees should be divided into areas of representation.

(3) Voting rights and eligibility only apply within one election group, for one of several parallel collegial bodies, and for one election area within a single body. In special cases, however, the rector can grant someone voting rights and eligibility for several parallel bodies. Individuals associated with several areas can advise before a fixed deadline where they wish to exercise their voting rights and eligibility. If no such statement is made, the rector decides where the rights are to be exercised.

Forms of election, etc.

Article 11. Elections are based on lists according to a system of proportional representation with the option of forming list pacts and electoral pacts. The elections are determined using the divisors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.

(2) Elections are held electronically. All ballots are secret. It must be ensured, however, that it is possible to vote without the use of electronic communication.

(3) There are no restrictions regarding re-election to collegial bodies, cf. Article 9 (5) of the Rules and Regulations concerning elections to the Board.

 

 

 

 

Participation as a contractual obligation

Article 12. Members of election groups I and III cannot refuse nomination for election to a collegial body. However, no member can be entered against his/her wish on a list including other candidates.

(2) If it is noted upon determination of the outcome of the election that an insufficient number of staff from election groups I and III were elected in a particular election area, the rector shall organise a draw between the non-elected eligible members of the group in the election area immediately after the election has been held and before the results are announced, to determine who should join the collegial body in question and who should be substitutes. The rector shall determine the number of substitutes. Similar rules shall apply if no candidates are nominated for election in the area in question. Staff members elected or appointed by draw are obliged to join the body and participate in its work.

 

Nomination of candidates

Article 13. The maximum number of names on a candidate list is twice the number of members to be elected. However, up to ten candidates can always be listed.

(2) The candidate lists must be signed by the candidates, who thereby commit themselves to accepting election.

(3) If it is not obvious from the list that the candidates are ranked evenly, they shall be considered ranked in the order in which they appear on the list (prioritised list).

(4) The nomination of candidate lists must be signed by five members with voting rights from the election group and the election area. The maximum number of members required corresponds to a quarter of the number of nominators with voting rights for each mandate within the election group in question. The candidates automatically count as nominators for the list on which they themselves are listed. No one can act as a nominator on more than one candidate list in connection with election to the same collegial body.

(5) In case of prioritised listing, the order of the nominated candidates cannot be changed after submission of the list unless all nominators and candidates have accepted in a written declaration that one or more named individuals are entitled to change the original order of priority. The order cannot be changed after expiry of the deadline for nominations.

(6) Candidate lists are approved by the Elections Committee and published within a date determined in the election circular.

(7) Objections to the published nominations must be submitted in writing to the Elections Committee before a date determined in the election circular.

List pacts and electoral pacts

Article 14. Candidates can enter into list pacts and electoral pacts by declaration. The declaration must be signed by all candidates on the lists in question.

(2) Notification of list pacts and electoral pacts must be given to the Elections Secretariat.

(3) The notification of list pacts and electoral pacts must be approved by the election committee and be announced prior to a date determined in the election circular.

(4) Objections to the published list pacts and electoral pacts must be submitted in writing to the Elections Committee before a date determined in the election circular.

 

Cancellation of ballot

Article 15. If the number of candidates listed in an election area does not exceed the number of candidates to be elected, the ballot is cancelled.

(2) If all the listed candidates appear on the same list, the ballot is cancelled, unless the list comprises a greater number of equally ranked candidates than the number to be elected. 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.

 

Determining the result of the election

Article 16. The first step is to determine the number of mandates allocated to each list of candidates. If the election involves electoral pacts, or list pacts that are not part of electoral pacts, the votes for the candidate lists that have formed electoral pacts or list pacts are totalled. The number of votes cast for each candidate list, electoral pact or list pact is divided by 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. until each number of votes has been divided an equal number of times as the maximum number of mandates that can be allocated to the candidate list, electoral pact or list pact in question. The largest electoral quota achieved in this way gives the list, electoral pact or list pact in question the right to the first mandate. The second-largest quota gives the list, electoral pact or list pact in question the right to the second mandate, and so forth until the total number of mandates required has been distributed between the different lists of candidates, electoral pacts or list pacts. If the electoral quotas are of equal size, the allocation is determined by a draw. The draw is carried out by the chairman of the election committee at a public election committee meeting.

(2) The number of mandates allocated to an electoral pact is divided between the candidate lists and list pacts that make up the electoral pact, using the same procedure. The mandates allocated to a list pact are divided in the same way between the candidate lists that make up the list pact.

Article 17. When determining which candidates on a list have been elected, a distinction is made between list votes and personal votes. If the voter has placed a cross against the name of a candidate or both against the name of a candidate and against the list to which this candidate belongs, the vote is considered personal.

Article 18. For candidate lists with equal ranking, the decision as to who has been elected shall be based on personal votes only.

(2) If two or more candidates have achieved the same number of votes and they cannot all be elected, the order in which the candidates have been elected shall be determined by a draw carried out by the chairman of the election committee at a public election committee meeting.

(3) After determining the priority of the candidates, the number of candidates to which the list is entitled are considered elected. Non-elected candidates shall be appointed as substitutes according to the same procedure. If all candidates from the list have been elected, substitutes shall be appointed from any list pacts or, if necessary, electoral pacts.

Article 19. For prioritised candidate lists, the candidates elected shall be determined in the following way:

(2) The number of personal votes within each list is added to the number of list votes. The resulting total is then divided by the number of mandates allocated to the list plus one. The number thus achieved is rounded up to the nearest whole number, which is called the distribution number for the list in question.

(3) A sufficient number of list votes to achieve the distribution number is then added to the number of personal votes achieved by the first candidate listed. The remaining list votes are then added to the number of personal votes achieved by the second candidate on the list until the distribution number is reached. This continues for all the remaining candidates in the order in which they appear on the list. Once all list votes have been assigned to the list candidates in this manner, the candidates who have reached the distribution number or have received a sufficient number of personal votes to achieve a number that is equal to or larger than the distribution number shall be declared elected in the order in which they appear on the list.

(4) If this procedure does not lead to the appointment of the required number of members, the remaining number of candidates required shall be declared elected based on the number of votes achieved (personal votes plus list votes). If two candidates achieve the same number of votes and only one can be elected, the candidate with the highest ranking on the list shall be declared elected.

(5) The candidates on a candidate list who have not been elected shall be considered substitutes for the candidates elected on the same list in the order described above. If all the candidates on the list have been elected, substitutes shall be appointed from any list pacts or, if necessary, electoral pacts.

Article 20. If there is a need to elect more candidates from a candidate list than the number actually listed, the excess mandate(s) shall be transferred to the candidate list with which the empty list has entered into a list pact. If the empty list is part of a list pact with several candidate lists, the mandate shall accrue to the list first in line to the mandate in accordance with the above-mentioned distribution procedure.

(2) If the empty candidate list has not entered into a list pact with other lists, the mandate shall be transferred to the candidate list(s) or list pact(s) with which the candidate list in question has formed an electoral pact in accordance with similar rules.

(3) If a list pact has been given more mandates than the number on the candidate lists that form part of the list pact, the excess mandate(s) shall be transferred to the list pacts or candidate lists with which the empty list pact has formed an electoral pact in accordance with similar rules.

(4) If all candidates on a candidate list, a list pact or an electoral pact have been elected in accordance with the above rules, the mandate shall be transferred to the remaining candidate list, list pact or electoral pact next in line in accordance with the above-mentioned rules.

 

Draw, announcement of results

Article 21. If it is noted upon determination of the outcome of the election that an insufficient number of staff from election group I were elected in a particular election area, the election committee shall organise a draw between the non-elected eligible members of the group in the election area immediately after the election and before the results are announced, to determine who should join the collegial body in question and who should be substitutes. The election committee determines the number of substitutes.

(2) Similar rules shall apply if no candidates are nominated for election in the area in question.

 

Complaints

Article 22. Complaints about an election must be submitted in writing to the rector before a given deadline, cf. Article 1 (2) above.

Resignation and by-election

Article 23. If a member no longer meets the requirements for eligibility within his/her election group, the member must resign from the bodies in which the member participates. In case of leave, the rector can decide that the member be temporarily absent during the leave period only.

(2) If a vacancy occurs in a collegial body during the election period and the ordinary election has not led to the election or appointment of a sufficient number of substitutes to complete the collegial body, the rector shall decide, normally on the recommendation of the collegial body in question, whether the vacant seat(s) should be filled in a by-election or whether an appointment can be postponed until the next ordinary election cf. Article 9 (6) of the university’s Rules and Regulations regarding Board members.

(3) In by-elections, the election area shall be the same as for ordinary elections and the provisions of the election circular shall apply correspondingly.

(4) If there are changes to the university’s organisational structure during an election period, mandates to closed bodies shall lapse and the necessary new elections be held for the remainder of the election period.

Article 24. These rules shall apply with effect from the autumn 2007 election.

Approved at a meeting of the Board on 13 June 2007 subject to approval of the authority provision of the Rules and Regulations by the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation.

Jens Bigum

Chairman of the Board