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:

What are the main features of the eVotUM system?

The eVotUM system has the following main features:

What are the parties involved in the eVotUM system?

The parties involved in the eVotUM system are the following:

What type of elections are supported by the eVotUM system?

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

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

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:

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:

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:

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):

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: 

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:

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.