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University governance requires election processes for leadership positions that foster informed participation, transparency, and institutional legitimacy. The objective of this research was to analyze the perceptions of students, faculty, and administrative staff at the University of Panama regarding knowledge of electoral regulations, the suitability of candidates, voter decision-making, and the ethical dimension of the process. An exploratory-descriptive, non-experimental, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study (predominantly quantitative) was conducted. An online survey was administered to 189 participants (121 students, 36 administrative staff, and 32 faculty members) selected through non-probability sampling, and 15 in-depth interviews were held with members of the three university constituencies at the Coclé Regional University Center. Of the respondents, 55.0% were aware that electoral regulations exist, yet only 37.0% reported knowing their content (24.8% among students). Furthermore, 76.7% expressed strong interest in objectively knowing the candidates’ profiles, while 20.6% considered the institutional information received to be sufficient. Open-ended responses and interviews revealed perceptions of misinformation, favoritism, and lack of transparency in campaigns, which are reported as participants’ opinions rather than verified facts. The study concludes that, among participants, there is interest in strengthening electoral information and responsible participation. Due to non-probability sampling and uneven institutional coverage, the findings cannot be generalized to the entire university community.
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