University election 2013: Real influence – or just an illusion?

Last year only 13.77 per cent of the students who were entitled to vote actually exercised this right in the election to the university board. This is the lowest turnout for six years, with the highest percentage during this period being 21.16 per cent in 2010.

In general, a low turnout at elections reflects a lack of interest among the electorate in the area concerned, explains Jørgen Elklit, an AU professor who researches into elections and election behaviour. This lack of interest can be due to a variety of factors.

“The electorate might simply not be interested in taking part. Or they might have thought about it and decided that the election is not relevant for them because their vote won’t change anything anyway. So a low turnout may also mean that the voters don’t believe they have any real influence.”

Lack of interest not the only explanation

Elklit does not believe that the low turnout at AU elections can be attributed solely to the fact that the students aren’t interested.

“Lots of students get involved in other contexts – for instance, they play an active role in party politics at various levels.”

This brings us back to the question of whether the election has any real significance for the students, and whether they feel they have any real influence. Elklit refuses to pass judgement on this.

“But if the students really do have any influence, there must be something wrong with the communication process,” he says.

What does the board actually do?

Even after many years at AU, Jørgen Elklit is still uncertain about exactly what the board does.

“The board and the work it does are very remote for me, and must be even more remote for the students. So the low student turnout is not surprising.”

The board is responsible for communicating its role better, but the university newspaper Omnibus also shares this responsibility, says Elklit.

“As a newspaper you have joint responsibility because the question is whether there is enough coverage of the decision-making process and its consequences. The management of the university is a very remote concept in my everyday working life, and the level of communication with me and the students is too poor,” he says.

Show it, don’t tell it

Elklit says that if you want more students to vote, you need to explain why this is important.

“But the best thing that could happen is that the board and management carried out some of the things that matter to the student representatives.”

An illusion

The low turnout is a problem for the candidates who are elected, because (all else being equal) a high turnout gives them a stronger mandate. But according to Elklit, it’s also a problem for the university.

“It’s regrettable. The university hoped that the students would feel included in the management of AU. But the low turnout reveals that this was an illusion.”

Too easy to vote?

If you want to vote in the university election, you don’t have to get out of bed or start searching for one of those things they used to call pencils.

This is an electronic election, so all you need is a few clicks of a mouse. But perhaps it has become too easy to vote, says Jørgen Elklit, an electoral researcher at Aarhus University.

“Casting your vote shouldn’t be too easy, but in the university elections it’s no harder than ordering a ticket to the cinema. The digital elections being tested by the Danish Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Interior don’t take place in the comfort of your own living room. You still have to go along to a polling station even though your vote is cast digitally; and this helps to retain a sense of ceremony which is worth having,” he says.

University election 2013

Elections are held each year at Aarhus University for a variety of councils, boards and committees, although new representatives are not required for all these bodies every time. However, each year the students elect two representatives to the University Board.

Who can vote – and what for?

This year students and PhD students at AU have the chance to vote. Representatives will be elected to the following bodies:

• The University Board: The board is the university’s supreme authority and lays down guidelines for the university’s organisation and long-term activities and development. The board consists of 11 members, including two students and three members of staff. The other members come from outside the university.
• The academic councils: Each of the four main academic areas has an academic council to include the staff and students in the management of the area concerned on an ongoing basis.
• PhD committees: The PhD committees are linked to the graduate schools in the four main academic areas. Each committee has both PhD students and academic staff, who collaborate with and advise the dean and graduate school manager – for instance with regard to the kind of PhD courses that are conducted at AU.
• Boards of study: AU has boards of study covering individual degree programmes, as well as boards of study covering more than one degree programme. In the boards of study the staff and students have an influence on the academic regulations, teaching and exam planning.

Check whether you are entitled to vote no later than 23 October at au.dk/valg

When is it?

The election lasts from Monday 25 November at 9 am to Thursday 28 November at 4 pm, and the result will be published no later than 3 December.

How do I vote?

The election will be carried out electronically.

You will be connected to the election system when you click on au.dk/valg.

Want to be a candidate?

You can still manage to enter the election as a candidate (from 25 October to 8 November).

See how to do this at au.dk/valg 

For more information see au.dk/valg

And keep an eye on the Student Council, Conservative Students, Frit Forum and Green AU on Facebook.

Translated by Nicholas Wrigley