Data protection in the university election process: This is how your data remains safe!

Data protection in the university election process: This is how your data remains safe!

Erlangen, Deutschland - On June 3, 2025, the university elections took place at many universities. These elections are an important part of student participation because they have a direct impact on the advocacy of the students. However, the implementation of these elections goes hand in hand with special challenges in terms of data protection.

The legal framework conditions that have been in the EU by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) since May 2018 have a significant impact on dealing with personal data at universities. This regulation gives citizens more control over their data and ensures that data may only be processed under certain conditions. Universities have to adhere to these regulations regardless of whether it is the data of students or employees, as well as Research and teaching

data protection and university elections

The challenges in the field of data protection are particularly relevant for university elections. The voting systems used must not only meet the legal requirements, but also ensure that the identity of the voters remains anonymous. Providers such as Polyas rely on proven security mechanisms to avoid data protection violations. Among other things, the token principle is used to strictly separate voter data from the ballot papers.

In the online elections, voting students can access the electoral system via a securelink that works anonymously. The university only requires an anonymized electorate with clear codes, which guarantees high data security. The PIN/TAN procedure is also available to protect the anonymity of the voters, as Polyas describes in its security strategies.

responsibility of the universities

universities are responsible for compliance with data protection regulations and must observe extensive documentation, information and regulatory obligations, such as Research and teaching . This also applies to the processing of data that is collected as part of the university selection. The processing of personal data must be carried out in accordance with the legal framework, which are set at the national level by the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and the State Data Protection Act.

The information obligations are of great importance so that students have a comprehensive understanding of how their data is processed and what rights they are entitled to. This transparency strengthens confidence in the processes during the university elections.

Thanks to these measures and the specific approaches to anonymize the election data, data protection is maintained during the university elections, while the participation of the students is promoted. For example, universities can ensure that the electoral procedures are fair and transparent, as is reported on fau