Elections Office

The university elections are used to elect representatives to the Senate, the Faculty Councils and the Student Parliament. Every member of the University listed in the electoral register is eligible to vote and stand for election. Eligibility to vote and stand for election is limited to the group of members to which it applies.

The terms of office are as follows:

• Two years:
  • for the representatives for professors and assistant professors (Juniorprofessor)
  • for the representatives for academic and artistic staff and lecturers
  • for the representatives for other civil servants and staff employed at the University
• One year for the student representatives.

This means the student representatives are elected annually, the representatives of the other groups every other year.

The electoral bodies are the returning officer and the election committee.

The University's head of administration shall serve as the returning officer; the University's deputy head of administration serves as the deputy returning officer.

The election committee consists of at least five representatives:

• two members from the group of professors and assistant professors (Juniorprofessor)
• one member from the group of academic and artistic staff and lecturers
• one member from the group of other civil servants and staff employed at the University
• one student member

The Senate appoints the members of the election committee for each election. The election committee performs the tasks assigned to it by the Bavarian election regulation for state universities (Wahlordnung für die staatlichen Hochschulen, BayHSchWO). In particular, the election committee decides on the minutiae of the election preparation and the election process.

Election committee 2022 [German content]

To carry out their duties, the electoral bodies may call upon aides (election assistants). Pursuant to Art. 18(1) sentence 2 BayHSchG, members of the University are obliged to take on electoral officer duties.

The election notice contains all essential information on the university elections. It will be announced by posting on the notice boards in the following buildings:

• Administration Building (VW, Innstrasse 41)
• Nikolakloster Building (NK, Innstrasse 40)
• Business and Economics Faculty Building (WIWI, Innstrasse 27)
• Juridicum Building (JUR, (Innstrasse 39)
• Computer Science and Mathematics Faculty Building (IM, Innstrasse 33)
• Central Library Building (ZB, Innstrasse 29)
• Catholic Theology Department Building (KT, Michaeligasse 13)

Furthermore, a digital version is published on this page.

Election notice for the 2022 university elections [German content]

Election nominations should be submitted separately according to the bodies concerned (Senate, Faculty Council, Representative Council for Academic and Artistic Staff, Student Parliament) and voting groups

• professors, including assistant professors (Juniorprofessor)
• academic and artistic staff and lecturers
• other civil servants and staff working at the University
• students

The election committee examines the nominations and decides on their validity and admission.

All eligible voters receive a poll card, which gives information on:

• which group they can exercise their voting rights in and their faculty affiliation in the electoral register
• where and when the electoral register is put on display
• the election date
• the polling station(s)
• the postal voting process

All staff members of the University receive their poll card by e-mail, all students by Stud.IP.

Please check your poll card to make sure you are assigned to the correct group of voters and faculty. You can request a change of group assignment or faculty affiliation until the closing date of the electoral register.

All students exercise their voting right within the faculty that administers their degree programme.

Your existing faculty affiliation can be found on your certificate of enrolment, which you can view from the University's campus portal.

If a degree programme is administered by several faculties, the student is a member of the faculty that bears overall responsibility for the implementation of the degree programme the student is enrolled on. Students enrolled on several degree programmes at different faculties usually choose at enrolment which faculty they wish to exercise their membership rights in. However, in these cases, students can have their existing faculty affiliation in the electoral register changed until the closing date. To do so, please submit the relevant Determination of Faculty Affiliation Form to the Elections Office – room VW 305.

Determination of Faculty Affiliation for Electoral Purposes Form

As a rule, staff members are assigned to the faculty in which they do the majority of their work. Staff who work at multiple different faculties with equal time shares can apply for a change of their existing affiliation in the electoral register to one faculty by submitting the registration form to the Elections Office – room VW 305. You can download the form here.

Determination of Faculty Affiliation for Electoral Purposes Form

Only those who are listed in the electoral register are eligible to vote and/or stand for election. The electoral register is prepared and maintained by the administrative units of the University of Passau. The electoral register is available for viewing at the Elections Office within the period determined by the returning officer. It is not possible to view the register by electronic means. The electoral register is closed on the 28th day before the first day of voting.

If you feel you should be, but have not been, entered on the electoral register or if your entry is erroneous, you can lodge a written appeal against the non-registration with the returning officer before the first weekday (Monday to Friday but not on Saturdays or on public holidays) after the closing date of the electoral register.

Any person entitled to vote has the right to appeal in writing against the entry of a person in the electoral register who is not entitled to vote. Again, this appeal must be submitted to the returning officer before the first weekday (Monday to Friday but not on Saturdays or on public holidays) after the closing date of the electoral register.

The decision on the entry or correction of the electoral register returning officer rests with the returning officer, who amends it when and as necessary.

Voting is also possible by postal vote.

For postal voting, you have to send a Postal Ballot Request Form to the returning officer. If you are requesting that the ballot paper be sent to you by post, the returning officer has to be in receipt of your request no later than 14th days before the election date. If you are collecting your ballot paper in person, you have until seven days before the election to fetch it from the Elections Office, room VW 305.

Postal Ballot Request Form

Alternatively, the Centre for Information Technology and Media Services (ZIM) has set up a particularly convenient registration method for your postal voting ballot – from the comfort of your own home. Instructions will be sent to you together with your poll card.