VoteAlly

Administrator Guide

1. Organization Setup

As an admin, you manage an Organization (e.g., "Anytown HOA"). Each organization has its own dedicated admin portal and voter portal.

Admin Portal: /admin/your-org-slug

Voter Portal: /your-org-slug/vote

You can invite other admins to help manage your organization from the Team tab in Settings.

2. Creating a Voting Session

A Voting Session contains one or more questions that voters will answer.

Session Types:

  • Live Meeting: Vote together during a meeting. The admin opens each question one at a time and everyone votes at the same time. Best for AGMs.
  • Scheduled Election: Vote anytime during a set period. People can vote on all items at their own pace. Best for elections or votes open for multiple days.

Question Types:

  • Election: Multi-candidate selection. You can set the maximum number of selections (e.g., "Vote for up to 3 board members").

Pass Rules (Motions Only):

  • Majority of Cast: Needs > 50% of submitted votes (excluding abstains depending on bylaws).
  • Majority of Eligible: Needs > 50% of all registered voters, regardless of turnout.
  • Two-Thirds of Cast: Needs ≥ 66.67% of submitted votes.
  • Two-Thirds of Eligible: Needs ≥ 66.67% of all registered voters.

Sessions start in DRAFT status. You must click "Launch Session" to make it "LIVE" and visible to voters. Individual questions within a live session start in STANDBY status.

Tip: Use the Clone feature to duplicate a session for testing or recurring meetings. All questions and settings are copied, but voter lists are not.

3. Managing Voters

Add voters manually or import them via CSV file.

CSV Format:

Your CSV file should include these columns:

  • email (required) - Voter's email address
  • name (optional) - Voter's full name
  • memberId (optional) - Member ID or unit number
  • phone (optional) - Contact number
  • weight (optional) - Vote weight for weighted voting (defaults to 1)

Duplicate Detection: The system automatically detects and skips duplicate email addresses and member IDs during import.

Sending Invitations:

Once voters are added, use the "Send Invites" button to email them their unique access codes and magic links.

  • Send Now: Dispatches immediately to all unsent voters via background queues.
  • Schedule Send: (Pro Feature) Choose a specific future date, time, and timezone for invitations to go out automatically. Perfect for setting up elections days in advance.

4. Running a Live Meeting

During your meeting, use the Live Control panel to manage question flow:

  1. STANDBY: Questions start here. Voters see "Voting Locked - Please wait for the motion to be presented."
  2. OPEN: Click "Open Voting" to activate the ballot. Voters can now submit their votes. Watch the live turnout graph update in real-time.
  3. CLOSE: Click "Close Voting" to end vote collection. No more votes can be submitted.
  4. Results: View results immediately in the admin dashboard. You can export detailed reports as CSV files.

Presentation Mode

Presentation Mode is a specialized, full-screen view designed to be shared on a projector or over Zoom screen-share during your meeting.

  • Waiting Screen: Displays a large QR code and URL so attendees can scan and join the session directly from their phones.
  • Live Voting: Shows turnout graphs updating in real-time as votes come in.
  • Spoiler Prevention: When a question closes, the final results remain blurred. You must click "Reveal Results" to show them, ensuring no accidental spoilers while you announce the outcome.

5. Reports & Audit Logs

Export detailed reports for record-keeping and transparency:

  • Results CSV: Vote counts and percentages for each question
  • Ballots CSV: Individual ballot records with receipt codes (anonymized)
  • Participation CSV: List of all eligible voters and whether they voted in each question (preserves anonymity)
  • Activity Log: Complete audit trail of all admin actions (who did what, when)

All exports and sensitive actions are logged in the Activity tab for full transparency and compliance.

In-Depth Guides

Email Communications Guide

Invites, reminders, and notices: when to send each type, how scheduling works, custom templates, and email quota.

Pro6. Branding & Customization

Pro plan organizations have access to advanced branding tools under the Settings tab:

  • Organization Logo: Upload your logo to appear on the voter portal and all outbound emails.
  • Brand Colors: Select a custom primary color to theme the voting buttons and portal interface to match your organization.
  • Custom Welcome Message: Add rich text (instructions, support links, or legal notices) to the voter portal login screen.
  • Custom Email Templates: Modify the subject lines and body text of the Invitation and Reminder emails.