What is it?
Voter registration allows you to restrict polls to authorized voters and ensure that each person only votes once.
How do I use it?
Enter up to 12,000 email addresses in the box on the
setup form (more can be accommodated on request). Each email must be on a separate line
in the form name@domain.org — a comma afterward is allowed.
Addresses are used only to confirm each vote.
For email-based authentication, you will need to announce the poll yourself, but DemoChoice will generate a form letter you can send. Key-based authentication is more secure and DemoChoice will send announcements for you, though you will have less control over the timing.
What if my poll has multiple questions?
Enter your email list only for the first question in a sequence. For subsequent questions, put the label of the first question in the “accept voters from” box on the setup form. This way you maintain fewer voter lists, and voters only have to enter their email address or key once.
Also connect the questions by entering the label of the next question in the series in the “next poll” box on the form.
If you have subgroups for some questions — for example, district representatives followed by an at-large executive office — enter the executive poll label in the “next poll” box for each district, and enter a comma-separated list of all district labels in the “accept voters from” box for the executive poll.
You can also combine voters from a previous question with new voters: put the new addresses in the list box, and put both that poll’s label and the previous question’s label in “accept voters from.”
Please ask us before trying anything complicated with a large voter list.
How does email authentication work?
Voters enter their email address to cast a vote. If the address is on the authorized list and the voter has not yet voted, the vote is counted and a confirmation email is sent. You should ensure that each address corresponds to a unique, real voter.
How does this prevent fraud?
It prevents multiple votes from the same person and can detect and trace impostors so that damage can be corrected. This is sufficient when there is adequate trust within your group. For larger groups where you don’t know all voters well, key-based authentication is more appropriate.
How does key-based authentication work?
Each voter receives a unique alphanumeric key, essentially eliminating the possibility of someone voting on another’s behalf. DemoChoice can send email announcements including these keys, but each poll requires human review before large numbers of messages are sent from our server. Include your full name on the setup form — it will be used in the signature of your announcements. Please contact us promptly after creating your poll if you have special instructions about when announcements should be sent.
Separately announce the poll to your voters and ask them to watch for a message containing their ballot link. If voters report not receiving a link, ask them to check their spam folder.
What will you do with my voters’ email addresses?
Voter addresses are used only to confirm votes and are not used for any other purpose.
What if I have a mix of paper ballots and online votes?
- Without voter registration: By default, your poll includes a delay to block votes from the same computer. If you’ve entered an admin email address with your poll, you can disable this by setting the delay time to zero, then enter votes freely. Reimpose the delay when you are done.
- With voter registration: Enter your poll’s password as the key or email address on the ballot to cast multiple votes. Use your browser’s back button to avoid retyping the password between ballots.
What happens when my poll expires?
No new votes will be accepted after the expiration time you chose on the setup form, in the timezone you selected. For example, if you chose 11:00 pm Pacific time on November 3rd, votes stop being counted at that exact moment regardless of where voters are located.
After expiration, anyone may cast a vote to see which candidate it would count for, but it will not be added to the tally. The poll will be subject to deletion one to two weeks after the expiration date.
The server clock currently reads 10:47 (server local time, which may differ from your chosen timezone).