The UNITA Voting Challenge
Organizing a truly representative, secure, and accessible European Student Assembly is as ambitious as it is essential. The UNITA ā Universitas Montium Alliance, which includes twelve universities across seven countries – such as the University of Turin, the University of Brescia, and the West University of TimiČoara– set out to ensure voting rights for thousands of students spread throughout Europe. This initiative aimed to strengthen European identity and active citizenship by giving students a direct role in shaping the allianceās strategic decisions.
Coordinating this cross-border electoral process meant balancing various demands: multilingualism in voting, verifiability, data protection, and freedom of expression. It also required a digital infrastructure capable of overcoming geographical and technical barriers – delivering an inclusive, GDPR-compliant voting experience. The main priority was clear: to build trust in a system that would turn the European Student Assembly into a real-world example of digital democracy – one that could be replicated in other academic and institutional settings.
The Solution
Eligo, in collaboration with SEEV Technologies Ltd., provided the ideal solution for the European Student Assembly. By integrating Eligoās platform with SEEVās self-enforcing cryptographic technology, it was possible to guarantee verifiable, anonymous, and low-coercion digital elections.
SEEV uses an innovative approach that allows each voter to verify the integrity of their vote without relying on third parties. Through self-enforcing cryptographic proofs and publicly accessible bulletin boards, every step is traceable and transparent. End-to-end verifiability (E2E) is the core of the system: it enables each voter to confirm their vote was cast as intended, recorded as cast, and counted as recorded. All this is done without compromising privacy or requiring trust in external actorsāthanks to advanced cryptographic protocols.
Students from all twelve participating universities – from Universidad PĆŗblica de Navarra to Instituto PolitĆ©cnico da Guarda – were able to vote using their university credentials, from any device.
Key benefits of the solution included:
- Secure and anonymous digital elections
- Remote access via university credentials
- End-to-end vote verifiability
- Coercion resistance enabled by cryptography
- Multilingual and user-friendly interface
A transparent and accessible process that highlighted studentsā European identityāwithout sacrificing security or ease of use. A result that confirms Eligoās experience in digital student elections, built over years of collaboration with universities across Europe.
Results
The European Student Assembly election organized by UNITA saw over 15,000 verified votes, involving twelve academic institutions in Italy, Romania, Spain, Portugal, and beyond. Each university maintained autonomy over candidates while using a harmonized ballot. This synergy strengthened a common identity while respecting cultural and legal diversity. The separation of Eligo and SEEV servers ensured voter anonymity, and results were available in real time – with full transparency.
The experience represented a scalable model for secure digital voting – demonstrating how technology can foster inclusion and strengthen institutional trust. UNITA and Eligo have taken a concrete step toward a more open, transparent, and engaging model of university governance. A victory for participation, trust, and innovation, delivering a clear message: digital democracy is already a reality.
Want to discover how Eligo can make your university elections secure, transparent, and verifiable? Start your free trial now and see how to manage an online election in just a few clicks.
