Digital Meetings and Online Voting

Can you help us run our digital conference or meeting?

Yes - with the secure voting and elections component.

We think digital meetings that involve collaborative decision-making work best when the audio and visual tool is separate from the online voting system. 

So, for the audio and video component, we’d recommend an easy to use conference solution, such as Zoom, WebEx, or GoToMeeting. You simply send out a link for your meeting and everyone invited is able to join.

The online voting system setup is ideally planned for and set up well in advance of the meeting. That’s so you can have ballots, hosted documents, and open and close times set up exactly how you need them and they’re ready to go when meeting time comes.

eBallot allows you to alter, change, and manage questions on the fly with ease, but the more you can prepare in advance, the more confident you’ll feel about your voting event running smoothly.

Why is an online voting tool for meetings important?

For simple, inconsequential polling, there's probably no reason to look much further than Zoom's built-in polling feature or simple survey software.

However, these options aren't a one-to-one replacement for a secure, online meeting voting tool.

Here are some things a proper digital meeting voting solution provides that Zoom voting and survey software doesn't:

• Fully-auditable votes and elections with options for third-party setup. This means you can decidedly prove to your group that your voting is run fairly.
  
  
• Specially designed cybersecurity login mechanisms that let your voters easily and securely access the voting portal.
  
  
• Robust customer support that goes beyond simple how-to articles. Our vote management services, for example, include hands-on ballot setup and implementation, voter notifications, and certified results reports.
  
  

If your group is voting in online meetings, it's worthwhile to consider a proper online voting tool for meetings. You'll feel more secure and confident about your voting rollout. You'll receive less concern from group members about the vote and its outcomes. And if you connect with a high-quality voting partner, you can be sure it will all run smoothly.

Should I use the collaboration software included with my audio & digital streaming software?

This is the difference between using an all-in-one / jack of all trades type software to accomplish everything in an OK way vs. using targeted, software and services that were built for one or two things in an expert manner.

When it comes to your organization-wide meetings and votes and elections, a lot is at stake and we’d recommend going to the experts for each (i.e. audio/visual software vs. voting software).

Note that we’re happy to speak with your meeting planning vendors as needed. Getting all parties synced up is a little thing that can really improve your live meeting experience. 

Should my open voting period overlap with the digital conference?

You definitely have the option of doing so. We recommend that your voting period is kept open for longer than your meeting lasts.

In keeping with the idea of digital meeting software and voting software being kept as separate systems, you also should consider the timeframe of meeting and voting separately.

The major benefit is that when you set up the meeting and voting as two separate components, you afford yourself the option of extending your voting period out so that people can vote prior, during, or after the meeting.

For example your meeting might get everyone together on Monday at 2pm - 4pm.

However, you might allow people to begin voting on the previous Thursday at 12pm, continue voting through the weekend, and accept votes up until Wednesday at 5pm.

I want to be able to add or update ballots on demand, during our live event. Does eBallot support this?

Yes (and here's how), but you should be aware of the ramifications before rolling this out. Here are some of the potential downsides:

• It requires strong knowledge of our voting platform. This means either leveraging our team to oversee and implement your voting, or designating a person at your organization who has the capacity to be trained up.
  
  
• It could create confusion, as things changing on the fly can be confusing for voters.
  
  
• It could make final sign-off more difficult. Finalizing everything in advance allows whoever is in charge of your meeting and voting processes to sign off and approve everything in one fell swoop, without having to worry about things that are subject to change.
  
  
• It introduces (more) unknowns. Live events are prone to the unexpected. We find it’s a smart thing to come to a comprehensive consensus around something as critical as an organization-wide meet, such as an AGM. Doing so is hard when there are unknowns.
  
  
• It forces voters to vote in the moment, regardless of their preparation. Voters can vote on their own time, within the bounds of what you set. Your voters might not have had the time to review any documents at their leisure.
  
  
• It limits your ability to support your voters. While we do offer customer support on demand, we’re able to offer a better experience for your voters when there is some time to react to their concerns. With only seconds to reach a conclusion in a live event, the experience can degrade quickly.
  
  
• It prevents those who can’t make the meeting from weighing in. If they can't make that timeslot and the meeting is when the voting happens, they'll miss out.

When you require voting to take place within the confines of the voting event itself, you limit things and introduce more risk and more anxiety.

All that said, if there's still good reason to align your live event with voting at the same, we are happy to help you mitigate these potential downsides.

Learn more about proposing and voting on questions during your live meeting here.

What’s the best way to have voters access ballots during a live voting event?

We recommend one-click links, as they are the simplest and least prone to error.

Alternatively, you can set up a login page where each person can enter a username and password.

For a full listing of voter authentication and login options, read our guide.

Is eBallot able to offer support to ensure our voting event runs smoothly?

Definitely!

When discussing your voting plans with us, make sure to ask about the options of our US-based customer experience team as on-demand support for your live event.

Have questions or need more information about live events and online voting? Contact sales@eballot.com.