Elections at THS
You can find currently open positions here.
The way the election process works at THS depends on which position of trust is being elected. This page contains information about how the different election processes work. For general information or questions, you can always contact the THS Election Committee at valberedning@ths.kth.se.
Annual Election Cycle at THS
An English translation of the figure is in progress.
Elections for the Management Team take place twice a year – once in the autumn and once in the spring. Any by-elections occur later in the same term. Those elected in autumn serve from 15 December to 15 January the following year. Spring elections cover the term 1 June to 1 July the following year.
Elections for the Union Presidium (President and Vice President) occur at the first Union Council meeting of the spring term. The rest of the Union Board, Speakers Presidium, Auditors, Leadership of Osqledaren, and Election Committee are elected at the second spring term Union Council meeting. Any by-elections are held at the next following Union Council meeting. These positions have a term of 1 July–30 June.
Members of the Union Council are elected in the spring term and serve from 1 July–30 June.
Union Presidium, Union Board, Speakers Presidium, Auditors, and Leadership of Osqledaren
Contact: valberedning@ths.kth.se, talman@ths.kth.se
All these positions are elected by the THS Union Council (KF) – the highest decision-making body, composed of members elected at Chapter meetings. The Election Committee handles and administers these elections, including announcing and marketing the elections, contacting nominees, collecting candidacies, interviewing candidates, and writing recommendations as decision material for the Union Council.
The elections take place in spring, in two phases – first the Union Presidium, then the rest of the positions. By-elections may occur at other times. All these positions have academic year terms.
Most of these positions require fluency in Swedish, check the specific details of each position to determine if you are eligible to apply.
Steps in the process
At the steps in bold the candidate is expected to perform and action or otherwise participate:
- The Election Committee opens the election for candidacies.
- The Election Committee contacts any nominees.
- Candidate submits candidacy, including questionnaire answers and CV.
- The Election Committee interviews the candidate.
- References provided by the candidate are contacted.
- The Election Committee writes a statement and decides whether the candidate will be endorsed or not.
- The candidate has 24 hours to comment on the statement.
- The candidate’s answers, CV, and recommendation are published to THS members (taken down after the relevant Union Council meeting).
- The candidate attends the Union Council meeting and receives the election result during the meeting.
Important to note is that one does not have to be nominated to apply and you may be elected even if you haven’t been endorsed by the Election committee.
At the Union Council Meeting
THS Union Council is the highest decision-making body, composed of members elected at Chapter meetings. These meetings are usually held in the evening at Nymble, though exceptions may occur. If you’re a candidate, make sure you know when and where your election will be handled – this should be made clear during your candidacy, and any changes should be communicated to you.
During the election item on the agenda, each candidate gets to present themselves and respond to questions from the Union Council members. Candidates for the same position are in a separate room while one presents. It’s worth preparing what you’d like to say, but presentation tools (like PowerPoint) are generally not allowed.
After all candidates for a position have had their turn, the Union Council holds a discussion and makes a decision. This discussion is public to THS members, except to other candidates for the same position. You’ll learn the election result during the same meeting (typically that evening if it’s a nighttime meeting).
Election committee
Contact: talman@ths.kth.se
The THS Election Committee is elected by the THS Union Council – the highest decision-making body at THS, consisting of members elected during Chapter meetings. These elections are prepared and administered by the Speakers Presidium without involvement from the current Election Committee, and the process is simpler than for other elections held at the Union Council. The candidate does not receive a statement, and no decision is made regarding endorsement or suggestion.
The election for the THS Election Committee takes place in the spring. By-elections may take place at other times of the year. The Election Committee serves a term corresponding to the academic year.
Steps in the process
At the steps in bold the candidate is expected to perform and action or otherwise participate:
- The Speakers Presidium announces the election (opens for candidacies).
- The Speakers Presidium contacts any incoming nominees.
- The candidate submits their candidacy, including questionnaire responses, via the form.
- The candidate’s responses are published to THS members. These documents are unpublished directly after the Union Council meeting where the election is handled.
- The candidate participates in the Union Council meeting and receives the result during the meeting (typically the same evening if it’s held in the evening).
Important to note is that one does not have to be nominated to apply.
At the Union Council Meeting
THS Union Council is the highest decision-making body, composed of members elected at Chapter meetings. These meetings are usually held in the evening at Nymble, though exceptions may occur. If you’re a candidate, make sure you know when and where your election will be handled – this should be made clear during your candidacy, and any changes should be communicated to you.
During the election item on the agenda, each candidate gets to present themselves and respond to questions from the Union Council members. Candidates for the same position are in a separate room while one presents. It’s worth preparing what you’d like to say, but presentation tools (like PowerPoint) are generally not allowed.
After all candidates for a position have had their turn, the Union Council holds a discussion and makes a decision. This discussion is public to THS members, except to other candidates for the same position. You’ll learn the election result during the same meeting (typically that evening if it’s a nighttime meeting).
Member of the Union Council
Contact: talman@ths.kth.se or the Election Committee at your chapter.
Union Council members are elected during spring chapter meetings. All chapter members may apply. You can be elected as a regular or alternate member. For details, contact your chapter’s Election Committee.
Management team (KL)
Contact: styrelsen@ths.kth.se, valberedning@ths.kth.se
The Management Team is elected by the THS Union Board – which in turn is elected by the THS Union Council. The elections are administered by the Election Committee, but they are not prepared by them. The Election Committee is responsible for announcing and marketing the elections, contacting nominees, collecting candidacies, and organizing a candidate hearing. Candidates do not receive a written statement and no decisions are made regarding endorsement or recommendation.
The candidate hearing is a meeting where candidates respond to questions from the Union Board and meeting participants, and all THS members are welcome. After the hearing, the Union Board holds a board meeting (KSm) behind closed doors (only the Board and the Auditors) where the candidates are discussed and individuals are selected for the trust positions.
Elections for the THS Management Team occur in two rounds – one in the autumn for positions with a calendar year term, and one in the spring for positions with an academic year term. THS Bylaws define which positions belong to the Management Team and what their term lengths are. By-elections may be held at other times of the year.
Steps in the process
The bold steps are where candidates are expected to act or participate:
- The Election Committee announces the election (opens for candidacies).
- The Election Committee contacts any incoming nominees.
- Candidate submits their candidacy, including questionnaire responses, via the form and emails their CV to the Election Committee.
- The candidate’s responses and CV are published to THS members. These documents are unpublished directly after the candidate hearing.
- The candidate participates in the candidate hearing and answers questions from the Union Board and THS members.
- The Union Board holds a meeting behind closed doors.
- The election results are communicated to the candidates and are made public.
Important to note is that one does not have to be nominated to apply.
At the Candidate Hearing
Hearings are typically held in the evening at Nymble – if you’ve applied, make sure you know when and where your election will be handled. The dates for the candidate hearing should be provided during your candidacy, though the exact date you are expected to attend may be communicated closer to the time. Hearings often span several days, but as a candidate you only need to attend the session where your position is discussed.
Each candidate presents themselves and answers questions from the Union Board and THS members. Candidates for the same position are in a separate room while one is presenting and answering questions. It’s worth preparing what you want to say, but presentation tools (like PowerPoint) are generally not allowed.
After all candidates for a position have presented and answered questions, the hearing ends. The Board will then, either the same evening or at a later time, hold a meeting to discuss the candidates and make a decision. This discussion takes place behind closed doors.
What does “behind closed doors” mean?
That the election happens behind closed doors means that it happens in private. Normally all Union Board meetings are public for THS members but the election meetings are not. The purpose is to give the Union Board the freedom to discuss the candidates and to ensure the integrity for the candidates.
The ones participating behind closed doors are the members of the Union Board and THS Auditors.
Other Elections Decided by the Union Board
Contact: styrelsen@ths.kth.se
There are other elections in which the Union Board makes the decision—for example, student representatives to KTH’s Disciplinary Committee, Flag bearer Coordinator, delegation members to SFSFUM, and so on. The exact procedure for these elections depends on the specific position and can vary, which means no general process can be outlined here.If you are interested in one of these positions, contact the Union Board to get information about how that particular election will be handled.
Position of trust in Union committees
Contact: See the PM for Union Committees for the responsible individuals for each respective committee.
Examples of Union Committees include Nymble’s Klubbmästeri (NKM), RN Eventteknik, THS Armada, THS International Reception, THS MAIN, and others. Within these Union Committees, there are various trust positions, but there is no common procedure for how they are elected. Some are appointed directly by the person responsible for the committee, while others are elected through democratic processes within the committee itself. Contact the person responsible for the specific Union Committee to find out how the election for the position you’re interested in is carried out.
