The UAB will elect a new rector on 27 and 28 October through electronic voting

The UAB Governing Council passed a new electoral calendar to choose a new rector. The first round of votes will take place on 27 and 28 October. If no candidate has an absolute majority of votes (more than 50% of weighted votes) in the first round, the two candidates with the greatest percentage of votes would go on to a second round on 2 and 3 November.

10/06/2020

For the first time ever, a new rector will be elected through electronic voting: all voters will be able to participate through a computer or mobile device with internet connection.

The UAB Governing Council met in April in an extraordinary online session to discuss and decide on the suspension, given the covid-19 pandemic, of the elections which were to take place in May to vote the new rector of the university. Once the administrative deadlines could once again be programmed starting on 1 June, a new extraordinary session held by the Governing Council passed a new period after a proposal made by the General Electoral Council to open an elections' period at the start of the 2020/21 academic year.

Among other dates marked on the calendar, 19 October will be the day in which the final candidates will be announced. On that same day the electoral campaign will begin and will last until 28 October. The voting period will last from 10 a.m. on 27 OCtober until 4 p.m. on 28 October. In the case that a second round is needed, this one will take place between the same hours on 2 and 3 November. The final results will be announced by the UAB General Electoral Council on 30 October after the first round, and on 6 November after the second round.

Safe Electronic Voting

For the first time, the elections to choose a new rector will be done 100% electronically: voters will be able to cast their vote using a computer or mobile device connected to the internet. The UAB had adopted this electronic voting system in several elections, when choosing representatives of the UAB Senate and directing members of teaching centres, as well as in trade union elections. This type of electronic voting is done through a computer platform, existing in all public universities of Catalonia, promoted by the ACUP and managed by CSUC. This platform includes security systems that guarantee anonimity when voting and includes all necessary tools so that voters can confirm that their vote has been cast correctly, without ever establishing a connection between the voter and their vote.

The rector is the maximum institutional representative of the university is and is chosen by universal weighted suffrage for the entire university community. Voters are divided into four sectors: tenured lecturers with a permanent position at the university (sector A, 51% of weighted votes), the remainder of lecturers and research staff with lecturing activities (sector B, 9% of weighted votes), undergraduate and graduate students (sector C, 30% of weighted votes) and administration and services staff (sector D, 10% of weighted votes). The rector's term of office lasts four years and a rector can be reelected only once. Only full professors can be appointed rectors.

More information: University Rector Elections 2020

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