BSI-Certificate-online-voting

On June 25, 2021, the POLYAS CORE 2.5.0 was once again certified according to the international Common Criteria standards. We took this opportunity to fact-check the frequently asked questions concerning the BSI certificate (BSI = German Federal Office for Information Security). What does the BSI certificate mean? What exactly is being certified? The basis for […]

digital DCU party conference

The CDU held a fully digital party conference for the first time in January 2021. The new CDU leader, Armin Laschet, was elected by 1,001 delegates using the POLYAS Live Voting. How the German party managed to prepare its party congress within 5 weeks and the situations it had to deal with were discussed in the interview with Dr. Stefan Hennewig, the national managing director of the CDU. Continue reading

Digital Voting with POLYAS

The CDU implemented the first fully digital national party conference and set new standards with digital voting. This was the first time that POLYAS Live Voting was used to help the 1,001 delegates conduct a secure vote from the comfort of their homes. Continue reading

Digital isn’t just this added thing!

David Edelman, McKinsey & Company

Software is a great combination between artistry and engineering – Bill Gates

If you are on the electoral management committee, there is no shortage of things to do. You will normally have to plan meticulously, juggle a number of functions and keep a cool head. Sometimes it can be a problem if a lot of people are involved in the planning process. After all, too many cooks spoil […]

An election is going to be held, that much is certain. And everyone knows what the election is for. Sufficient individuals have put themselves forward as candidates. The election committee, e.g. for the association or board election, has been constituted. There’s only one thing left to organise: how the election is going to take place. […]

The family calendar with multiple columns hung up on the refrigerator, the digital calendar on your office computer, the appointment planner in your briefcase – we use calendars both in our private and professional lives. You cannot simply keep everything in your head – and that especially applies to the planning and organisation of elections. By creating an election calendar while preparing for the election, you can schedule all of the planning, advertising and execution of your election.

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So far, our tips for planning elections have concerned securing a complete electoral register, the importance and utilisation of key voters as well as extensive and always readily available candidate information. Our fourth practice tip is about that wonderful thing called money. Because an election costs money, be it a comprehensive board election or smaller elections in an association […]

The preparation for an election must be conducted as meticulously as the election itself. Errors, inaccurate information or missed deadlines – and already the entire process is invalid. The election regulation, election charter or association charter provide the rough guideline for this.

Missing information for the authorised voters may lead to decreased voter participation, failure of the election because the minimum voter participation was not reached, invalid votes or – especially disastrous – a loss of trust in the election’s leadership and the board.

We are happy to provide you with information on fundamental election planning, because your election’s success is important to us. That is why we have already provided instructions on the electoral register, and emphasized how important it is that all contact information of the authorised voters is available. Today we will discuss your candidates. The voters must know exactly which person is up for election with which messages. Do not neglect to provide extensive information through suitable channels. There may be no misunderstandings of your board election due to faulty information – then the entire election will certainly collapse. That means: Start from the ground up! And that may cost a pretty penny.

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Addressing key voters effectively will help to increase your election turnout. An electoral committee – e.g. for elections in an association or a board – is quickly faced with the demand of motivating the authorised voters to cast their votes. To do so requires, first and foremost, the argument as to why the election is important. This argument can be based on necessity and campaign promises, or opportunities to help create something. Continue reading

Elections, such as board or association elections, must be planned properly so that they can be conducted smoothly. Every election is only as good as the election organiser, committee or board that prepared it. Knowing how is half the battle: That is why from here on out you will see us posting the blog series […]