Article 1
Purpose and scope.
These rules of procedure govern the implementation of elections for the position of rector of the University of Iceland. They are designed to ensure that online elections for the position of rector are implemented in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009, and that reasonable requirements concerning voting privacy, voters' rights and secure implementation are met.
Article 2
Definitions.
In the context of these rules of procedure, the following definitions apply:
Ugla: The University of Iceland IT system and intranet, accessible to all staff and students of the University through the use of personal identification.
Online voting system: Software used to manage and implement an election. The system is divided into identification, voting, and vote counting components. The system is stored within Ugla.
Electronic electoral register: An electoral register which is electronic.
Electronic ballot: A ballot displayed to voters through the interface of the online voting system, showing the candidates for the position of rector and to which electoral register the voter belongs, see items 5 and 6, Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009.
Online election: An election where voting takes place exclusively online through Ugla.
Identification: Methods used to confirm the identity of voters. Each voter has a personal username and password.
Article 3
Role of the election committee.
The University Council shall appoint an election committee, in accordance with paragraph 1 of item 4, Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009. The election committee acts on behalf of the University Council. Its role is to oversee creation of electoral registers, set the election date, manage the holding of the election, rule on appeals concerning the election, and handle other aspects of the election as provided for in detail in Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009.
The election committee organises the election, plans aspects such as the design and creation of electronic ballots and the counting of votes, manages its implementation, reviews the results of the vote counting and confirms the result of the election.
The provisions of Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009 apply to all aspects of the election, appointment and eligibility for the position of rector.
Article 4
Planning of the election.
Once the University Council has appointed the election committee, the election committee will plan the details of the election.
Article 5
Role of the Division of Human Resources, Division of Academic Affairs and Division of Information Technology.
The Division of Human Resources shall prepare an electoral register of the employees of the University and its institutes. The Division of Academic Affairs shall prepare an electoral register of University students. The Division of Information Technology shall prepare electronic electoral registers in accordance with the provisions of these rules of procedure.
In accordance with the instructions of the election committee, the Division of Information Technology shall handle the implementation of online elections, including identification of voters, confirmation of the right to vote, management of the online voting system, counting of votes and summary of election results.
Article 6
Implementation and organisation.
In order to vote in an online election, the voter's name must appear on an electoral register. Voters must satisfactorily identify themselves before voting can take place.
The election committee and those Division of Information Technology employees who have access to the online voting system, as well as unauthorised parties, are unable to access information on how a certain voter voted, or change the vote, without this being flagged by the system.
Polling shall take place over two working days between 9 am GMT on the first day and 5 pm GMT on the second day. The dates shall be determined by the election committee, see item 7, Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009. The election committee shall announce the election on the University website, in Ugla and elsewhere (as determined by the election committee), including information on the dates for the election and start and end times for polling. The election committee shall announce the election as soon as the dates for the election have been decided.
Article 7
The online voting system.
The online voting system is owned by the University of Iceland and managed by the Division of Information Technology. The system may be divided into identification, voting, and vote counting components.
The identification component includes an interface for voters through which they identify themselves.
The voting component confirms that the voter appears on an electoral register and includes an interface for voters through which they cast their vote.
The vote counting component includes an interface for processing the votes cast, i.e. counting and statistical analysis.
Information shall be published in Ugla detailing the workings of the online voting system.
A log shall be kept detailing the management and use of the online voting system.
Article 8
Electronic electoral register.
The Division of Information Technology shall issue electronic electoral registers for use in online elections for rector, as determined by the election committee. To be included on the electoral register, individuals must meet the conditions outlined in item 5, Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009.
In accordance with item 6, Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009, electoral registers shall be published online in Ugla three weeks before the election date. At that time, voters can check in Ugla whether they appear on the electoral register and the weighting of their vote. Complaints must be submitted to the election committee no later than one week before the election date. The election committee shall rule on any complaints no later than 24 hours before the election date.
The electronic electoral register shall give the names and national ID numbers of voters; this must be separate from the voting component of the system.
Article 9
Identification and the right to vote.
Before voters can cast their votes in the elections for rector, they must identify themselves in the online voting system. The right to vote shall be confirmed by ascertaining that the voter appears on the electronic electoral register.
Voters shall use the login system in Ugla to identify themselves.
Article 10
The polling process.
After voters have identified themselves, they may cast their vote in the online voting system using any device capable of connecting to the internet.
Voters must cast their votes in private, or in such a way that others do not see how they vote.
Once they have filled in the ballot, voters must identify themselves again in order to cast their vote.
The election committee determines and ensures that voters may cast their votes in a specific location on the University campus, where the necessary equipment is available and technical assistance can be provided.
Article 11
Electronic ballots.
The election committee shall have electronic ballots prepared in five colours for the elections for rector, cf. the provisions of items 5 and 6, Article 6 of Regulation no. 569/2009.
Electronic ballots shall be designed in such a way that voters are able to cast a blank vote to indicate that they support none of the candidates.
The election committee shall assign the task of adding the electronic ballots to the online voting system to the Division of Information Technology. The election committee shall confirm that the electronic ballots appear correctly in the system.
Article 12
Voting privacy.
Voting privacy must be ensured, such that votes cannot be traced back to individual voters. It is not possible to link a voter with a certain vote in the online voting system.
The University of Iceland shall appoint an independent party to review the security of the system and ensure security while the election is underway.
Article 13
Vote counting and handling of data after the election.
Once polling is complete, see item 7 of Article 6, votes shall be counted and results compiled in the vote counting component of the online voting system.
The election committee shall ensure that the results of the election are accessible to voters and the general public.
Four weeks following the election, vote counting and publication of results, data relating to electoral participation and voting shall be destroyed.
Article 14
Transparency and oversight.
Information on the technical setup and implementation of the elections for rector must be accessible in Ugla.
Article 15
Basis in law and regulation.
These rules of procedure are established by the University Council, on the basis of paragraph 1, item 7, Article 6 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009, see paragraph 1, Article 8 of the Act on Public Higher Education Institutions no. 85/2008, and enter into force immediately. These rules of procedure were first approved by the University Council 5 February 2015 and were updated at the meeting of the University Council 5 December 2024.