Imagine you pay your ÖH fee on time as always. This time it was a bit tighter because you started the semester a little late, but two days before the deadline you transferred the money properly to your university.
Two months later, you want to vote for your statutory representation in the ÖH elections. You line up. After a few minutes it's your turn and you hand the election assistant your student ID. She types something into the computer. Then she hands your ID back. „You are not eligible to vote. I'm sorry!“
Sounds absurd? For thousands of students, this will become reality again at the next ÖH election!
Both the registration for your studies and the eligibility to vote in the ÖH election depend on paying the ÖH fee , but the deadlines are different!
The Registration deadline for studies in Austria is always fixed: 31 October for the winter semester and 31 March for the summer semester. By this date, you must pay the ÖH fee and any tuition fees in order to be allowed to study in that semester.
However, a different deadline applies for the ÖH election. Every election has a cut-off date, on the basis of which the list of eligible voters is compiled. In the National Council election, for example, that is 82 days before the election. In the ÖH election too, the cut-off date depends on the election date. Here, the cut-off date is exactly seven weeks before the first election day. Since the election always takes place in mid-May, this cut-off date is usually close to the registration deadline.
Thus, in recent years, it has repeatedly happened that the cut-off date fell before the registration deadline. The consequences were explosive: Students who paid their ÖH fee only shortly before the deadline were not eligible to vote. Most of them only found out on election day, since most students rightly assume that they are automatically eligible to vote once they are registered.
Can this situation be avoided?
Knowing full well that these problems had occurred in the past, a broad coalition of various university ÖHs asked the Executive of the Federal ÖH in March to set the election date in such a way that this gap would no longer arise.
In the meeting of the ÖH Federal Representation in March, it quickly became clear that the ÖH Executive, consisting of VSStÖ and GRAS, did not want to commit to such a deadline:
It supposedly made no sense to decide this now, because many points would have to be considered regarding an election date, such as lead times, some of which would fall during the Easter holidays. There were said to be many stakeholders, such as election commissions and university representations, affected by an election date. Talks were still ongoing, and they would take away the point of focusing on the deadline for voting eligibility.
From the minutes of the meeting of the ÖH Federal Representation on 20 March 2026
Ultimately, this motion was postponed by the ÖH Executive to the next meeting in June, on the grounds that it was still too early in March to decide something like this, and that they wanted to gather more opinions by the next meeting.
Second attempt in June
At the beginning of the next meeting of the ÖH Federal Representation in June, we were then surprised by an announcement from the Executive: The next ÖH election will take place on 11–13 May 2027.
This confused us, since the motion on the topic was still to be voted on later in the meeting. Our confusion was all the greater because, with this election date, the cut-off date falls on 23 March 2027 — eight days before the registration deadline.
In the meeting, it then became increasingly clear that the Executive had already fixed the date with the Ministry of Science without the involvement of the university representations, because the election commission feared that holding the ÖH election a week later would be more complicated due to the public holiday on Monday.
We sharply criticized already during the meeting that a legitimate discussion about weighing organizational effort against students' right to vote was now being nipped in the bud:
I find it an outright impertinence that this election date has already been fixed. The discussion has thus become moot, and it was completely ignored to talk about it with the student associations at the educational institutions. I would like to remind everyone that the Federal Representation is only one of three elections being held there, and there are very many bodies that had legitimate political interests in having a say.
Now deciding to take the earlier date because it is more convenient for the election commissions in terms of organization, due to the public holiday, is a very weak argument, set against the argument of the number of eligible voters, which declines as a result. Students are being deprived of the democratic means to vote if they register too late.
Of course, who benefits from low voter turnout? The largest faction here, the VSStÖ. That is known from past elections. What surprises me here is that the coalition partner (GRAS) lets this happen to them. This is practically a gift of votes to the larger left-wing faction. Strategically, that is really not well thought out.
Paul Koo, list spokesperson of FLÖ
Statement in the meeting of the ÖH Federal Representation on 19 June 2026
Ultimately, the motion was rejected with the votes of VSStÖ and GRAS, and the election date was fixed for 11–13 May 2027. Thus, at this ÖH election too, it will again happen that some students will learn on site that they are not eligible to vote because of this deadline.
What are we demanding?
We see two acute problems here: The 7-week deadline is too long and the BV Executive from VSStÖ and GRAS are ignoring the needs of the university representations for more involvement in the organization of the ÖH election.
Postponement of the cut-off date
We demand that the cut-off date for eligibility to vote in the ÖH election be moved from the current seven weeks to six weeks in the future.
With this measure, it is virtually impossible to accidentally not be eligible to vote, even though one is properly re-registered.
Such a change would require an amendment to the law. The ÖH should advocate for this with the Ministry of Science.
Fixed involvement of the university representations
Each university representation organizes its own ÖH election. They are responsible for the polling stations, election information, and for finding personnel to staff the election commissions. But they currently have no say in cross-university decisions, such as the election date. This is determined by the Federal ÖH in agreement with the Ministry of Science.
We are allowed to travel to Vienna for the BV meetings. We are allowed to submit motions that get postponed. We are allowed to pay for the EWAS (election system of the ÖH election). We are allowed to increase voter turnout at the individual universities. We are also allowed to explain to students why they, despite being full members, are not allowed to vote.
But having a say, that we are not allowed to do here! In my eyes, party tactics or faction tactics are being placed above the interests of students. Are you serious?
Lukas Ertl, Speaker of the Chairpersons' Conference of Universities of Applied Sciences, member of FLÖ
Statement in the meeting of the ÖH Federal Representation on 19 June 2026
We demand the creation of a body for planning the ÖH election, in which the universities also have a say.
This involvement could, for example, run through the chairpersons' conferences of the universities.
This gives everyone who has to organize an election a say, not just the Federal Representation.
Don't let your vote be taken away – we'll remind you!
Until the ÖH leadership finally solves this bureaucratic problem, we students have to protect ourselves. Make absolutely sure to pay your ÖH fee for the summer semester 2027 before the March 23 to avoid losing your vote.
So that you definitely don't forget the deadline amid semester stress, simply join one of our info channels:
We don't send spam, we just remind you in time about all critical deadlines related to your studies and the election!
And most importantly: Go vote!
The Executive shrugs off low voter turnout. The best response to that: Go vote anyway! From May 11 to 13, 2027, give your vote to FLÖ! For an ÖH that protects your right to vote instead of curtailing it.
