Branding & Customization
Make the voting experience your own. Upload your logo, set your brand colors, write a custom welcome message, and tailor email templates to match your organization's identity.
Overview
VoteAlly lets you replace the default look and feel of your voter portal with your own organization's branding. When voters open their ballot link, they see your logo, your colors, and your welcome message instead of generic defaults.
Branding is managed from the Settings page in your admin dashboard, under the Customize tab. Changes are previewed in real time with a live mockup of the voter portal before you save.
Pro & Enterprise Feature: Logo uploads, brand colors, and the custom welcome message require a Pro or Enterprise plan. Free plan users can preview changes in the editor but cannot save them. Email template customization is also limited to Pro and Enterprise.
Uploading Your Logo
Your logo is the most visible piece of branding. It appears on the voter portal login screen, in the ballot header, on the Presentation Mode display, and at the top of every outbound email.
Navigate to Settings > Customize
Open your admin dashboard and go to the Settings page. Click the "Customize" tab at the top.
Upload your image
Click the "Upload Logo" area or drag and drop a file. Accepted formats are PNG, JPEG, and WebP with a maximum file size of 5 MB. Images are automatically resized to a max of 512x512 pixels and optimized for fast delivery.
Adjust logo settings
After uploading, you can fine-tune: Size (height) using a slider from 40px to 200px, a Background Color behind the logo (useful for logos with transparency), Background Padding to control the spacing around the logo, and an optional separate Header Logo Size for the voter portal header.
Save your changes
Click "Save Changes" at the top of the page. The live preview on the right updates instantly, but changes are only applied to your voter portal after saving.
Tip: For the sharpest results, upload a transparent PNG with your logo centered. Avoid logos with excessive whitespace around the edges, as the padding and size controls give you precise control over spacing.
Brand ColorsPRO
The Primary Color controls the color of buttons, links, highlighted text, and accent elements throughout the voter portal. It is the single most impactful branding change you can make.
- Vote buttons and call-to-action elements
- Links and interactive highlights
- Welcome message bold/highlighted text
- Progress indicators and selection states
- Secondary UI accents
- Complementary to the primary color
- Leave blank to use the system default
To set your colors, open Settings > Customize and use the color picker or type a hex code directly (e.g., #1e40af). The live preview on the right shows exactly how buttons and text will look with your chosen color.
The default primary color is #7c3aed (VoteAlly purple). Choose a color that has strong contrast against white text for accessibility.
Custom Welcome MessagePRO
The welcome message appears on the voter portal login screen, right above the access code input. Use it to greet voters, identify the event, or provide instructions.
You can use bold highlights by wrapping text in double asterisks. For example, typing **2026 Annual General Meeting** renders that phrase in bold with your primary color applied.
Example Welcome Message
Welcome to the 2026 Annual General Meeting. Please enter your access code below to cast your vote. If you did not receive a code, contact your board administrator.
Tip: Keep your welcome message concise. It is the first thing voters see, so a clear one-liner identifying the event and a short instruction works best. You can include legal notices (e.g., "By voting you agree to...") if required by your bylaws.
If left blank, the voter portal shows a default "Voter Login" heading with no additional message.
Email Template CustomizationPRO
VoteAlly sends three types of voter emails: invitations (with magic link and access code), reminders (for voters who have not yet voted), and notices (custom announcements). You can customize the subject line and body content at two levels:
- Set in Settings > Organization
- Apply to all sessions unless overridden
- Good for consistent org-wide tone and branding
- Set per session via the Email Templates page
- Override org defaults for that session only
- Ideal for event-specific language or instructions
The email template editor includes a rich text editor with formatting options and a live preview. You can use template variables that are automatically replaced when emails are sent:
| Variable | Replaced With |
|---|---|
{{voterName}} | The voter's full name |
{{sessionName}} | The voting session name |
{{orgName}} | Your organization name |
{{accessCode}} | The voter's unique access code |
If no custom template is set at either level, VoteAlly uses sensible built-in defaults. You can always reset a template back to the default from the email template editor.
Where Branding Appears
Your branding is applied consistently across every voter touchpoint. Here is where each element shows up:
Voter Portal Login
Your logo is displayed prominently above the login form. The welcome message appears below the logo. Bold highlights use your primary color. The "Submit" button uses your primary color as its background.
Voter Ballot Interface
Your logo appears in the ballot header (with an optional separate header size). Vote buttons, selection highlights, and progress indicators all use your primary color.
Presentation Mode
The full-screen projector display shows your logo in the sidebar header and on the waiting screen. If no logo is configured, your organization name is displayed as text instead. See the Presentation Mode guide for details.
Outbound Emails
Your logo appears at the top of all voter emails (invitations, reminders, and notices). The logo background color you set in Settings is applied behind the logo in email headers. If no logo is uploaded, a default VoteAlly logo is used as a fallback.
Note: Branding changes are applied immediately after saving. If voters have a session open in their browser, they will see the updated branding on their next page load. Emails sent before the change continue to show the previous branding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which plans include branding and customization?
Logo uploads, brand colors, and the custom welcome message are available on Pro and Enterprise plans. Free plan users can preview changes in the settings editor, but need to upgrade to save them. Email template customization is also a Pro and Enterprise feature.
What image formats and sizes are supported for logos?
You can upload PNG, JPEG, or WebP files up to 5 MB. Images are automatically resized to a maximum of 512x512 pixels and compressed for fast delivery. For the best results, use a transparent PNG with your logo centered.
Can I use a different logo size in the ballot header vs. the login screen?
Yes. The "Header Logo Size" setting lets you set a separate size for the ballot header. If left unset, the main logo size is used everywhere. This is useful when your logo looks best at a larger size on the login screen but needs to be more compact in the header.
What is the logo background color for?
If your logo has a transparent background, the logo background color provides a solid backdrop behind it. This is especially useful in emails, where transparent backgrounds may render differently across email clients. Set it to match your logo background or use white for a clean look.
Can I use different email templates for different sessions?
Yes. Organization-level email templates serve as the default for all sessions. You can then override the subject and body for individual sessions from the Email Templates page within each session. Session overrides only apply to that session.
Does my branding appear in SMS messages?
SMS messages are plain text and do not include logos or colors. However, your organization name is included in the message body so voters can identify the sender.
Can I reset my branding back to defaults?
Yes. Remove your logo by clicking the "Remove" button, clear the welcome message, and set the primary color back to #7c3aed (the default purple). For email templates, use the "Reset to Default" option in the template editor.
Are branding changes applied to emails already in the queue?
No. Branding changes only affect emails sent after you save. Emails that have already been sent or are currently being processed retain the branding that was active at the time they were generated.
Last updated: April 2, 2026