How To Improve Works Council Elections: Why Paper Voting vanishes!

Employee representation through Works Councils remains one of the strongest forms of workplace democracy in Europe. In 2026, thousands of new Works Councils will be elected - giving employees a structured voice in company decisions, workplace policies, and labor rights.

But while the business world is now fully digital—hybrid work, global teams, and online communication—many organizations still manage their Works Council elections on paper. Manual ballots, physical polling stations, and handwritten counts slow down results, limit participation, and increase administrative risk.

The solution? Secure online Works Council elections that make participation easier, protect employee data, decreases cost and ensure fairness through modern technology.

Short and Sweet Summary

• 🗳️ Employees can vote from anywhere, on any device.
• ⚙️ Election committees save days and resources of manual counting and paperwork.
• 🔐 Security safeguards make results tamper-proof and GDPR-compliant.
• 👥 Participation rates rise to 30–50%, sometimes by more than 100%!

Overview

1. Digital Employee Representation
   
2. Why Paper Elections Fall Short
   
3. How Digital Voting Fixes It
   
4. Security and Compliance Essentials
   
5. Step-by-Step to Digital Elections
6. Choosing the Right Voting Software
7. The Future of Works Council Voting

The Shift Toward Digital Employee Representation

The disconnect between digital workplaces and manual election procedures introduces unnecessary complexity and compliance risks. Modern organizations now expect elections to be as seamless as every other digital process they manage — from payroll to performance reviews.

By adopting secure online voting, companies can align representation with the realities of hybrid work and distributed teams. Digital Works Council elections don’t just make voting easier — they increase employee engagement, build trust, and reduce costs.

The Problem With Traditional Works Council Elections

How Technology Solves These Challenges

Secure digital voting platforms eliminate most of these problems. Solutions like Nemovote allow eligible employees to vote from any device, at any time during the election period: Without compromising security or compliance.

• Accessibility: Every worker, whether remote, part-time, or shift-based, can participate equally.
• Instant results: No manual counting, no recounts. Results are visible immediately after polls close.
• Error reduction: Automated validation ensures one vote per person and prevents duplication.
• Transparency: Real-time dashboards provide election committees with a live overview.
• Cost efficiency: No printing, shipping, or storage required.

Digital transformation makes Works Council elections faster, clearer, and more democratic.

Security and Compliance in Online Works Council Elections

• Encryption: End-to-end protection with TLS 1.3+ and AES-256 encryption for all votes in transit and storage.
• Voter anonymity: Separation of voter identity from ballots ensures full confidentiality.
• Authentication: Multi-factor authentication and Single Sign-On (SSO) guarantee only eligible employees can vote.
• Infrastructure: EU-hosted servers and ISO 27001-certified systems provide maximum data protection.
• GDPR & Legal compliance: All election data is processed within the EU, following strict storage and deletion guidelines. 

Works Council Elections need to be legally secure.

👉 Read our latest article on Online Works Council Election 2026: Legal and Technical Requirements 

Implementing Digital Works Council Elections: Best Practices

Transitioning to an online Works Council election is straightforward, but preparation matters

Step-by-step approach

1. Confirm legal eligibility: Check your national framework.
   ❌🇩🇪 In Germany, online voting is currently restricted for standard GmbH/AG entities
   ✅🇪🇺 European Companies (SE) are permitted to adapt to online works council elections.
2. Form an election steering committee: Include HR, IT, and Works Council representatives.
3. Select a certified provider: Choose a GDPR-compliant platform like NemoVote with proven encryption and authentication standards. Check their references, make sure that they supported works council elections before with a proven track record. Check whether the budget allows for them to support you during the election, especially if you are a first time administrator.
4. Communicate early: Notify employees about the digital process and emphasize privacy protection. Use the standard communication methods, like your intranet, newsletter and for workers that are currently unable to access their emails (parental leave,...) send them a letter with their credentials.
5. Test the system: Run a pilot vote to validate access, compatibility, and usability. No need to make it bigger than 10 voters only. Just a small one hour session.
6. Run the election: Monitor live participation, resolve access issues promptly, and ensure equal access for all employees.
7. Certify and document: After closing, export certified results and compliance reports for record keeping.

Following this roadmap ensures your election is secure, compliant, and trusted by employees and regulatory bodies alike.

Choosing the right online works council election software

If you want to know which provider offers the best solution for your needs, read our article:  Online Voting Tool Comparison 2026

Because: In 2026, we conducted a detailed analysis of the 10 best online voting tools worldwide and published key differences.

Main Criteria for a good online voting provider:

• User-friendliness: The election should be as easy as possible for both you as the administrator and the voters. There's no room for error.
• Security: Every vote must be securely stored and transmitted. Important security features such as HTTPS, AES-256, and TLS 1.3 are crucial.
• Data Processing Agreement & GDPR: In order to conclude a contract, the provider must be able to present a data processing agreement (DPA). Only then can GDPR compliance be ensured by your data protection officers.
• Support: Are you confident in preparing the election as a committee? Great! If not, that's fine too, but you must then ensure that the provider can also offer support.
• Functions: Important features for works council elections are:
  
  • Anonymity
  • Voting over a period of time
  • Multiple choice, as often more than one position needs to be filled
  • Voter lists or voter groups, so that representatives of the site can only be elected by the relevant employees
  • Voter upload for quick configuration
  • Single sign-on for a simple AND secure election
• Price: If the election tool can guarantee all of this, the price usually determines the provider.

Are you interested in an alternative for POLYAS and ELIGO? We have made an in-depth direct comparison with NemoVote:

• The best POLYAS alternative
• Looking for an Eligo alternative?

The Future of Works Council Elections

Digital elections represent a cultural shift in how organizations engage their workforce. As Europe continues to modernize labor representation, online votes will soon become standard practice even all around.

Technology, when used responsibly, strengthens - not replaces - democracy at work.

Organizations that adopt secure online Works Council elections today demonstrate not only innovation but also a deep commitment to transparency and employee empowerment.