Access to the ballot, maintaining integrity, and voter ease of use are important to ensuring an overall positive voting experience. ElectionBuddy offers three Security settings that allow you to control the ballot access process while accounting for the integrity your organization requires. These settings define key aspects of the voting process.
How voters access the ballot.
Who creates the Access Keys to access the ballot.
The number of times voters can vote on the ballot.
On the Details Page, three "Voter Access to Ballot" settings control this.
Ballot Access Flows
High Integrity
ElectionBuddy creates a link for each voter, which includes a random, secret access key.
Voters are assigned a unique access key which can only be used to vote once. They access the ballot by clicking their direct link or typing in the Access Key at https://secure.electionbuddy.com/ballot
How do voters access the ballot?
The Access Key is a unique, randomly generated, 16-character key required for the voter to access their ballot.
When ElectionBuddy is used to deliver the Notice, the Access Keys are withheld from the administrator. If the administrator Prints the Ballot or Surfaces the Access Key, ElectionBuddy logs this in the Admin Audit Report for transparency.
With High Integrity, you can also increase security by using Two Factor Authentication.
Voters should not share their Access Keys if they intend to vote themselves.
Who creates the Access Keys to access the ballot?
ElectionBuddy creates the Access Keys automatically. Individual unique access keys are created for each of your voters. These access keys are randomized, secret, and voter-specific.
How many times voters can submit a ballot?
The 16-character Access Keys are unique, voter-specific, and single-use, so the voter can only vote once using their Access Key.
Important Note!
If you select MeetingVote on the Details Page, it will default to Medium Integrity. MeetingVote is predicated on voters only having to log in once to the voting process, and therefore their credentials need to remain the same for every MeetingVote voting topic released.
Medium Integrity
The administrator creates a shared access link for voters and creates a unique access key and password for each voter.
With this setting, the administrator creates the voter's Access Keys and Passwords. Because the administrator has access to all voting credentials, and administrators can vote on the voter's behalf. When using this setting, ensure that you or your vote administrator has no vested interest in the outcome of the vote to ensure the vote's integrity.
How do voters access the ballot?
A Notice is sent to each voter, containing the voter's unique voting credentials (Access Key and Password). Notices can be delivered by Email, SMS, Postal, or Printed and distributed by the administrator. The Voter Sign-in page can be shared by the administrator externally to voters, such as posted on a website, or social media.
Voters access their ballot using a shared access link directing to the "Voter Sign-in page" and enter an Access Key and a Password to access their ballot.
The Voter Sign-in page link is made up of an organization key and a vote key the administrator creates.
The organization key is created once for an organization, but the unique vote key is created by the administrator for each vote run using Medium Integrity for that same organization.
The access link takes voters to the Voter Sign-in page, where they enter their Access Key and Password to vote.
Who generates the keys to access the ballot?
The administrator creates the unique Access Keys and passwords for all voters as part of the voter list. Voters enter these credentials on the Voter Sign-in Page to access their ballots. You can add descriptive text to the Access Key and Password fields to help voters enter the correct credentials.
The administrator creates a unique access key and a password for each of the voters on the voter list.
How many times voters can submit their ballot?
Access Keys are unique, voter-specific, and single-use, so the voter can only vote once using their Access Key.
Important Note!
Access Key examples include a membership number. Names and birth dates are not commonly used, as they aren't unique. Password examples include other login credentials that the voter would know. For universities, for example, a student's username to log into their online resources would make a great password.
Low Integrity
An administrator creates a shared link for all voters, no access key is required for each voter, and voters can submit ballots more than once.
Great for surveys or polls, when a general population is allowed to participate and vote, or when voters can vote more than once.
How do voters access the ballot?
The administrator creates a general and shared access link, unique to their vote. For example, electionbuddy.com/m/anytownassociation/votenow
Administrators must distribute the access link themselves. For example, external email, adding to a website, or posting to social media.
Instead of adding a formal voter list, the administrator only enters how many submitted ballots they wish to receive in the vote.
Who generates the keys to access the ballot?
Access Keys are not required for voters to access the ballot. Only the shared link is required for voters to access the ballot, and vote.
How many times voters can submit their ballot?
Anyone who has access to the shared link may vote, and voters can submit ballots more than once. Votes can be submitted until the maximum "Submitted Ballots" limit entered on the Voter Page has been reached.
Important Note!
The Voter Anonymity setting on the Details Page of your vote setup allows administrators to adjust the anonymity of their voter population's voting choices. When Low Integrity is used, there is no defined Voter List or Access Keys so voters’ choices cannot be linked to voters' despite selecting "Poll" or "Show of Hands".
For any questions, please send us a chat using our Buddy Messenger in the bottom right of the screen.