Representatives election 2026

Representatives election

Want to have a say in student matters at Lapland UAS? Stand as a candidate in ROTKO’s Representatives elections or make your voice heard by voting!

The Representatives elections of the Student Union of Lapland University of Applied Sciences (ROTKO) will be held on 4 November 2026. A total of 9–15 students will be elected as Representatives.

The Representatives exercise the highest decision-making power within the Student Union. They make decisions concerning the Student Union’s activities and matters affecting students.

Important dates

Candidate nomination period ends on 19 October 2026 at 12:00 (noon)
Advance voting: 26 October – 3 November 2026
Election Day: 4 November 2026

Voting will take place electronically. More detailed voting instructions will be sent to students via their university email before advance voting begins.

Who can stand as a candidate?

You can stand as a candidate if you are a student at Lapland UAS and have paid the ROTKO Student Union membership fee.

There are two ways to stand as a candidate:

as an independent candidate, without belonging to an electoral list
as part of an electoral list, together with other candidates on the same list.

You do not need any previous experience in student representation or advocacy to stand as a candidate. Please note that the official working language of the Representatives is Finnish, so you should be able to work in Finnish.

How to stand as a candidate

The candidate nomination period is open from until 19 October 2026 at 12:00.

Complete the electronic candidate nomination form before the deadline.

You can also complete a paper candidate nomination form at the ROTKO office.

If you want to join an electoral list, indicate the list you are joining on the form.

What is an electoral list?

An electoral list (electoral alliance) is a group formed by at least two candidates. The votes received by candidates on the same electoral list also contribute to the list’s total number of votes.

An electoral list can include no more candidates than the number of Representatives to be elected. A candidate can belong to only one electoral list.

Each electoral list appoints a representative, who acts as the contact person for the list and submits the nomination documents of all candidates on the list together. The representative may also stand as a candidate.

Want to create your own electoral list?

To create an electoral list, a founding document must be completed. The document includes the name of the electoral list and the details of its representative.

The name of an electoral list must not infringe anyone’s personal rights, be commercial, or otherwise be inappropriate.

Create an electoral list by 7 October 2026 at 12:00.

Established electoral lists and their contact details will be added to this page as they are created.

Who can vote?

Students who are members of the Student Union and have paid the membership fee are eligible to vote. In practice, membership is usually indicated by a Student Union-issued student card with a valid academic year sticker. If you don't use a physical card, your membership is indicated by valid ROTKOs mobile student card either in Kide.app or Slice.fi.

Each eligible voter has one vote.

Voting will take place electronically during both the advance voting period and on Election Day.

Electoral register and election rules

The electoral register will be published on ROTKO’s website no later than seven days before advance voting begins.

If an eligible voter notices an error in the electoral register, they may submit a written appeal to the Election Committee in accordance with the Student Union’s rules. The appeal period is 14 days.

The elections are conducted in accordance with ROTKO’s rules, the election regulations approved by the Representatives, and applicable Finnish legislation. The current rules, election regulations, and other relevant election materials are available on ROTKO’s website.

The Student Union of Lapland University of Applied Sciences is arranging the election for the Council of Representatives 4.11.2026. In the election for the Council of Representatives the rules of Student Union ROTKO, the regulations considering elections set by the Council of Representatives and the articles from the laws of Finland considering the election are obeyed. Council of Representatives consist 9-15 persons.

Official language of ROTKO representatives is Finnish. So in order to work as a representative, you should be able to work in Finnish.

In the election every member of student union can register as a candidate and has a right to vote. Every member* has one vote they can use at the election.The voting system of the election is proportional representation.

Pre voting will be carried out electronically. You will receive more information about it at your school email address before pre voting begins. On the actual election day, voting will also be conducted electronically.

TIMETABLE OF THE ELECTION

Election date: 4.11.2026
Pre voting date: 26.10.2026 - 3.11.2026
Applying for Candidate: 1.9.2026 - 7.10.2026

Election documents will be submitted electronically before the end of the nomination by 12 p.m. on 7th of October 2026. Candidate nomination forms will be available at ROTKO's website on 1st of September 2026 at 12.00 p.m.

Election list will be published at least in ROTKO’s internet page at the latest 7 days before pre voting starts. Electorate member of student union can complain in writing to election committee before appeal period is closed by rules of student union to council of representatives about election list. Appeal period is 14 days. Valid rules of student union and election directive and other necessary election material are in student union’s web pages.

*) Membership is defined by has the student paid Student Union's membership fee. Usually this can be told by the student card they have: If student has a student card with valid sticker, she is a member of student union.