Frequent questions

What is eVotUM?

eVotUM is a web-based electronic voting system addressed to the entire University of Minho community, allowing not only to complete formal election acts within the academia, but also to hold referendums and collect opinions on issues relevant to the community.

How is the use of the eVotUM system structured?

The use of the eVotUM system is structured in five different stages: creation of an electoral process, creation of an election, verification of the electoral roll, voting and counting.
These stages are characterised as follows:

• Creation of an electoral process – The Institution Official uses the eVotUM system to create the electoral process, indicating the various elections, relevant dates and elements that compose the Electoral Commission, creating the necessary conditions for the Electoral Commission to use the system in order to promote the electoral acts. At this stage, the cryptographic elements necessary for ciphering/deciphering the votes are generated, with the Electoral Commission being responsible for the cryptographic elements for deciphering.
• Creation of an election – This process is carried out by the Electoral Commission and covers the publication of the provisional and final electoral rolls, creation of lists/candidates, publication of the electoral programme of the candidates/lists, publication of the minutes of the Electoral Commission and the production and publication of the ballot.
• Verification of the electoral roll – At this stage, the voter can verify the information contained in the electoral roll in order to make any corrections necessary in case the information is incorrect.
• Voting – Using the voting system (via web), the voter initiates its voting process by authenticating himself in the eVotUM system, using his security credentials (for more information on the security credentials, see the question “What are the security credentials for accessing the restricted area?”). The eVotUM system, after the verification of the data provided by the voter, presents him with the elections in which he can participate. Selecting an election, the voter is shown an electronic ballot where he can express his voting option or leave it blank (blank vote). After the voter indicates his preference, the voter’s browser and the eVotUM system apply cryptographic controls to the vote, and then the vote is deposited in the electronic ballot box in a ciphered state until it is time to begin the vote polling and counting procedures. The eVotUM system ensures that it is not possible to establish any connection between the vote entered in the electronic ballot and the voter. At the end of this stage, the voter receives a unique random code that will allow him to verify, after the vote counting, that his vote was introduced in the ballot box and counted.
• Counting – After the voting period, the vote counting process begins. The counting system is accessible only by members of the Electoral Commission and they start to make available the various components necessary to obtain the key – cryptographic element – for which the Electoral Commission is responsible. This key allows deciphering the votes, preparing them to be counted. When the counting process is finished, the number of votes is compared to the number of voters and it’s checked to see if there are any irregularities. The vote counting is subject to the recording, through minutes, of the resulting data. The eVotUM system does not allow to count votes before the end of the voting period and the opening of the polling and counting stage.

What are the main features of the eVotUM system?

The eVotUM system has the following main features:

• Authenticity - only people with the right to vote can vote;
• Uniqueness - Each voter can vote only once;
• Anonymity - It is not possible to associate a vote to a voter, or vice versa;
• Integrity - The votes cannot be modified or destroyed;
• Unrevealable - No voter can prove which vote he cast;
• Verifiability - It is possible to verify independently that all votes were counted correctly;
• Auditability - The eVotUM system can be tested and audited by independent bodies;
• Mobility - The system does not restrict the places where you can vote from;
• Transparency - The eVotUM system is clear, accurate, precise and safe;
• Availability - The eVotUM system is always available during the voting period;
• Detection and Recovery - The eVotUM system detects errors, failures and attacks, and is able to recover the information up to the point of failure.

What are the parties involved in the eVotUM system?

The parties involved in the eVotUM system are the following:

• Institution Official - appointed by the Rector of the University of Minho, it’s the person responsible for the configuration of the electoral processes, with the indication of the various elections and relevant dates, elements of the Electoral commissions, automatic generation of pairs of ciphering/deciphering keys for the votes and sending of the components of the deciphering key access password to the different elements of the Electoral Commissions. It’s also the person responsible for the generation of the eVotUM Root Certifying Authority and the signature of all digital certificates issued to the components of this system.
• Electoral Commission - manages the electoral process and the several elections that are part of it. It’s composed by a President and an even number of additional members of the Electoral Commission (with a minimum of two members and one President).
• Voter - through the eVotUM system, the voter can: 
  • Change his personal information (contact e-mail and second method for voting authentication);
  • See his electoral processes;
  • Communicate with the Electoral Commissions;
  • Vote on each of the elections, if within the voting period;
  • Verify that his vote was counted in the election, by entering the voting reference.
• Public - through the eVotUM system, the public can access the public pages of the electronic voting system, with:
  • General information (Frequently asked questions, Information security policy, Privacy policy, Terms of use, Site map, Contacts);
  • Checking the electoral processes (all the information made available by the Electoral Commissions);
  • Checking the electoral rolls, where complaints may be lodged if there are any inaccuracies in them.
• Technical administrator of the eVotUM system - manages the technology infrastructure of the eVotUM system, being responsible for its monitoring, maintenance and technical support; elaboration of static pages and loading of keys and digital certificates in the system.

What type of elections are supported by the eVotUM system?

The eVotUM system allows the Electoral Commissions to set the following types of elections:

• Election with a limit of choices - the voter can choose one or more lists/candidates, up to the maximum number of choices established by the Electoral Commission;
• Write in election - the voter can choose a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot (restricted to the names “preloaded” by the Electoral Commission);
• Election by orderly vote - the voters rank the candidates/list by order of preference;
• Election by the d’Hondt system or the proportional method - in the case of the d’Hondt system (version of the d’Hondt system used in the Portuguese elections for the Assembly of the Republic – http://www.cne.pt/content/metodo-de-hondt), the Electoral Commission indicates the total number of mandates.

Additionally, the Electoral Commission can also set the following voting characteristics:

• Viewing the lists/candidates on the ballot in list format (list/candidate presented sequentially, in which the voter selects the list/candidate he wishes to vote for, with a cross showing on the selected list/candidate) or in dropdown format (each line of the ballot has the lists/candidates in a dropdown format, in which the voter chooses the list/candidate he wishes to vote for, with this list/candidate becoming visible);
• Vote weight - each voter can have a different vote weight, i.e., each voter can represent a number of different votes, depending on the weight that his vote has.

What is the difference between the general access area and the restricted area of the eVotUM site?

The eVotUM system can be accessed through the URL https://evotum.uminho.pt/, immediately presenting the part of the site with information addressed to the general public (general access area).
In the part of the site directed to the general public, anyone can access the public pages of the electronic voting system, with:

• General information (Frequently asked questions, Information security policy, Privacy policy, Terms of use, Site map, Contacts);
• Checking the electoral processes (all the information made available by the Electoral Commissions);
• Checking the electoral rolls, where complaints may be lodged if there are any inaccuracies in them.

To access the restricted area of the eVotUM site, it is necessary to follow the authentication link and enter the security credentials of the voter in question. This part of the site is restricted to voters and provides the following features:

• Change his personal information (contact e-mail and second method for voting authentication);
• See the electoral processes in which the voter is involved; 
• Communicate with the Electoral Commissions;
• Vote on each of the elections, if within the voting period;
• Verify that his vote was counted in the election, by entering the voting reference.

How can I contact an Electoral Commission?

The Electoral Commission of an election can be contacted by the voter using the messaging system available in the restricted area of the eVotUM site.

How can I contact the people responsible for the management of the eVotUM system?

The various forms of contact are available on the Contacts page of the eVotUM site.

How can I access a vote?

To access a vote, the user should access the restricted area of the eVotUM site, after which he will be presented with the electoral processes that he can vote on. If there is an election within the voting period, he will be presented with a voting button, from which he can start the voting process.

What are the security credentials for accessing the restricted area?

The security credentials to access the restricted area of the eVotUM site are the credentials used to access the different services available on the University of Minho’s Intranet.

How can I recover my password to access the restricted area?

To recover the security credential password to access the restricted area, the voter must follow the procedure indicated by the DTSI (Technology and Information Systems Department) for recovery/changing the password to access the electronic services of the University of Minho, and can proceed to the recovery/changing of the password online through the Intranet portal (https://intranet.uminho.pt).
This operation requires the voter to have previously completed, in the Intranet and in the human resources personal file, his personal contacts, namely, his mobile phone number or a personal e-mail address (different from the institutional one). If this is not the case, the voter should visit the DTSI’s facilities.

Steps for the recovery of the password:

• Access https://intranet.uminho.pt;
• Select the option “Login” (please note that this option is available only if the user is accessing from within the University of Minho’s computer network);
• Select the option ““Recuperação/ alteração password” (Password recovery/change); 
• Enter your Login and select “esqueci-me da minha password” (forgot my password);
• In the next screen, you should enter the specified characters and select “Seguinte” (Next);
• Choose the method for sending the code (this option is only visible if you have specified a mobile phone number and an e-mail address in your personal contacts);
• Complete the mobile phone or e-mail field (depending on the previously selected option);
• After you receive the code (on the mobile phone or e-mail address according to the option selected) you should enter it in the “Código de validação” (Validation code) field and type in a new password for your account.

Please note:

1. The code received on your mobile phone or e-mail address is valid for 5 minutes.
2. The new password must have a minimum of 8 characters.

How can I access the messaging area and how does it work?

The restricted area of the eVotUM site includes a messaging area that the voter should use for all communication with the Electoral Commission of an electoral process that he participates in. This messaging area also allows the voter to receive messages sent by the Electoral Commission, with a notification sent to the e-mail address of the voter (or the default e-mail address, if the voter has not set up an e-mail address for contact).

Is the vote secret?

Yes, the vote is ciphered in the voter’s browser before being placed in the electronic ballot box, with the ciphering key of the election, and the vote can only be deciphered at the end of the election using the deciphering key in the possession of the Electoral Commission. It should be noted that no information is associated to the vote that can identify the voter, nor is any information associated to the voter that can identify the vote.

What can be configured in the voter’s profile and what does it do?

In the restricted area of the eVotUM site, the voter can access his profile (Personal Data) and check his default name, e-mail address, mobile phone number and photo, which have been previously provided to the University of Minho and are used in the context of the voter’s intervention in the electoral process.
Additionally, the voter can set an alternative contact e-mail address (that will be used in all of the eVotUM system’s interactions with the voter), mobile phone number for contact (used for sending the security key, if he chooses SMS) and the method for sending the security key (e-mail or SMS).

What is the security key specified in the voter’s profile?

In the restricted area of the eVotUM site, in the voter’s profile (Personal Data), it is possible to configure the method for sending the security key (e-mail or SMS). The security key is a secret code generated automatically, which is sent to the voter at the end of the voting process, with the objective of confirming his identity. This code can be sent by SMS (via the mobile phone number for contact or, if it is not defined, via the default mobile phone number), by e-mail (via the e-mail address for contact or, if it is not defined, via the default e-mail address) or by Digital Mobile Key (CMD). If a voter selects the Digital Mobile Key, he should activate it before the voting process (for more information, see https://cmd.autenticacao.gov.pt/Ama.Authentication.Frontend/)

How can a voter know if his vote was counted?

At the end of the voting process, each voter is provided with a vote reference (also sent to the voter’s e-mail) that can be used, after the votes are counted, to validate that his vote was included in the count.
To do so, the voter should access the restricted area of the eVotUM site, select the relevant electoral process and election, and check the vote references.

How can I start voting in an election?

You can start voting from the restricted area of the eVotUM site. After a voter accesses the restricted area of the eVotUM site, he is presented with the electoral processes that he can vote on. If there is an election within the voting period, he will be presented with a voting button, which he can use to start the voting process.

Where can I vote from?

There is no limitation on this. You can vote from anywhere as long as you have Internet access and a browser compatible with the eVotUM system.

What browsers can be used and what browsers are compatible?

The eVotUM site can be accessed from the following browsers (and higher versions):

• Chrome 40,
• Firefox 34,
• Internet Explorer 11 and 
• Safari 9.

What is the difference between electoral process and election?

The electoral process, in a broader sense, concerns the organisation, supervision and execution stages of the elections, also containing a brief subsequent period that includes, among other activities, the nomination of the elected members.
An electoral process may consist of one or more elections and is governed by specific electoral rules, approved by the relevant bodies of the University of Minho.
Each election is composed of several stages, among which, the voter registration, the candidacies, the voting, the vote counting and the publication of results.

How can a voter check if he’s included in the electoral roll?

During the electoral roll verification period, a voter can check if he’s included in the electoral roll. To do so, in the general area of the eVotUM site, he should check the electoral process page and, choosing the relevant election, access the provisional electoral roll. If the voter is not included in it or, even if he is, it does not present the characteristics expected, the voter should use the button available to submit a complaint (the message he sends will be delivered to the Electoral Commission).

Where can I find information about the candidates/lists, electoral programme, minutes of the electoral commission and relevant dates of the election?

The information about the candidates/lists, electoral programme, minutes of the electoral commission and relevant dates of the election can be accessed via the general area or the restricted area of the eVotUM site.

What are the states of the electoral process and what do they mean?

An electoral process goes through the following states: 

• New - after being created by the Institution Official;
• Open - after the automatic publication of the Electoral Process, on a date/time set by the Electoral Commission;
• Closed - after closing all the elections of the electoral process;
• Filed - six months after the electoral process goes to Closed state.

It should be noted that in the Closed and Filed states, the public and the voters will still be able to search the data of the electoral process.

What are the states of the election and what do they mean?

An election goes through the following states:

• New - after being created by the Institution Official; 
• Open - after the automatic publication of the Electoral Process, on a date/time set by the Electoral Commission;
• Provisional electoral roll - after the beginning of the electoral roll verification period, on a date/time set by the Electoral Commission;
• Final electoral roll - after the end of the electoral roll verification period, on a date/time set by the Electoral Commission;
• Voting - after the beginning of the voting period, on a date/time set by the Electoral Commission;
• Counting - after the end of the voting period, on a date/time set by the Electoral Commission;
• Counted votes - after the Electoral Commission has counted the votes;
• Minutes in approval - after the minutes have been made available by the Electoral Commission;
• Closed - after de end of the minutes verification period, on a date/time set by the Electoral Commission.

It should be noted that in the Closed state, the public and the voters will still be able to search the data of the election.