Notice Composer
Compose and send rich-text announcements to your entire voter list. Share meeting agendas, schedule changes, results, and follow-ups without leaving VoteAlly.
What Are Notices?
Notices are general-purpose announcements sent to your voter list. Unlike invitation or reminder emails, notices are not tied to ballot credentials or voting status. They are designed for any communication you need to broadcast to your members.
Each notice is composed with a rich-text editor that supports bold, italic, underline, bullet lists, numbered lists, and hyperlinks. You can optionally include structured content blocks for agendas, schedules, credentials, and portal links.
Notices are sent from within a voting session, so they automatically inherit the session's context: organization branding, voter list, and session details. Every voter in the session receives the notice, regardless of whether they have been invited or have already voted.
Accessing the Composer
The Notice Composer is available from within any voting session that has not ended. To access it:
- Open your voting session and navigate to the Setup tab.
- Scroll to the Communications section.
- Click Send Notice. This opens the full-page composer.
Note: If your session has ended, the composer will display a warning banner and the send button will be disabled. You cannot send notices to voters after a session is closed.
Composing Your Notice
The composer is a two-column layout. The left panel contains your editor and settings. The right panel shows a live preview of exactly how the email will look when delivered.
Subject Line
The subject line is required and has a maximum of 200 characters. A live character counter is displayed below the input. When you first open the composer, the subject defaults to "Notice: [Session Name]" if no draft has been saved.
Message Body
The body uses a rich-text editor with a toolbar for formatting. You can apply bold, italic, underline, bullet lists, numbered lists, and hyperlinks. The body has a maximum of 2,000 characters (only your words count, not the formatting). A character counter appears below the editor.
You can insert placeholders that are automatically filled in with each voter's details. Click the Variables button above the editor to see the full list. Available placeholders include:
{{voterName}}The voter's name
{{sessionName}}The session name
{{orgName}}Your organization name
Content Toggles
Below the editor, four checkboxes let you include or exclude structured content blocks that are appended to the end of your message:
Appends a numbered list of all ballot items (questions) in the session. Enabled by default. The count of ballot items is shown next to the toggle.
Appends the session start time, end time, and timezone. Enabled by default. Only shown if the session has a configured start time.
Appends the voter's magic link and access code so they can reach their ballot directly. Disabled by default. Use this when you want the notice to also serve as an invitation.
Appends a link to the session voting portal (the general entry page, not the personalized magic link). Enabled by default.
Saving Drafts
Click the Save Draft button in the top-right corner to persist your subject, body, and content toggle settings. Drafts are saved to the session and will be restored the next time you open the composer. The timestamp of the last save is displayed next to the button. Draft saving is manual (not automatic), so you can revert mistakes by leaving the page without saving.
Live Preview and Test Email
The right panel renders a live preview as you type, showing exactly how the email will appear to voters. To send a real test copy to your own admin email address, click the Send Test Email button at the bottom of the editor panel. The test email uses sample voter data so you can verify how template variables render.
Scheduling vs. Sending Now
The composer offers two delivery modes, controlled by a toggle at the bottom of the editor panel:
- Delivers immediately after confirmation
- You are redirected back to session setup after sending
- Confirmation dialog shows the voter count before you commit
- Pick a date, time, and timezone for future delivery
- Scheduled time must be at least 1 minute in the future
- You stay on the composer page so you can keep editing
- Saving the draft also updates the scheduled job content
Tip: Schedule your meeting agenda notice a few days before the session. This gives members time to review the agenda, prepare questions, and plan their attendance.
Who Receives Notices
Notices are sent to every voter in the session, regardless of their invitation status. Unlike invitation emails (which target only uninvited voters) or reminders (which target voters who have not voted), notices have no status filter.
The only voters excluded are those with a bounced or complained email status. These exclusions protect your email sender reputation and are enforced automatically.
Will receive the notice
- Voters who have been invited
- Voters who have not yet been invited
- Voters who have already voted
- Voters who have not voted yet
Will not receive the notice
- Voters with bounced email addresses
- Voters who filed a spam complaint
Quota impact: Each recipient counts as one email against your session's email quota. The composer checks your remaining quota before sending and warns you if the number of recipients exceeds your available balance.
Common Use Cases
Notices are flexible enough to support a wide range of communications throughout a session's lifecycle. Here are the most common uses:
Meeting Agenda Distribution
Send the official agenda before your meeting or election. Toggle on "Include session agenda" to automatically list all ballot items. Schedule delivery a few days in advance so members can prepare.
Schedule Changes
If your meeting time, location, or date changes, send a notice with the updated details. Toggle on "Include session date & time" to display the corrected schedule.
Results Announcement
After voting closes and results are finalized, compose a notice summarizing the outcomes. Include key decisions, elected candidates, and next steps for your organization.
Post-Meeting Follow-Up
Thank members for participating, summarize action items, and share any relevant documents or links. This is a good place to include minutes or a link to recorded proceedings.
Credential Distribution
If you want a single email that combines an announcement with voting credentials, toggle on "Include voting credentials" so each voter receives their personalized magic link and access code.
General Announcements
Any organization-wide communication that relates to the session, such as candidate introductions, process explanations, or policy reminders.
Contact Information Requirement
Before your first notice (or invitation) can be sent, VoteAlly requires your organization to have a physical address and contact email on file. This is an anti-spam compliance requirement: bulk emails must include sender identification under CAN-SPAM and similar regulations.
If this information is missing when you click Send or Schedule, a pop-up will ask you to enter it. Once saved, the send proceeds automatically. You only need to do this once per organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I attach files to a notice email?
No. Notice emails do not support file attachments. If you need to share documents with voters, upload them to your preferred file hosting service and include a link in the notice body using the rich-text editor.
Is there a character limit on notice emails?
Yes. The subject line has a maximum of 200 characters. The message body has a maximum of 2,000 characters (only your words count, not the formatting). A live character counter is displayed below the editor so you can track your usage as you type.
Can I preview the notice before sending it to all voters?
Yes. The composer includes a live preview panel on the right side that updates as you type, showing exactly how the email will render with your content toggles applied. You can also click "Send Test Email" to deliver a real copy to your admin email address before committing to a full send.
Can I edit a notice after scheduling it?
Yes. After scheduling a notice, you stay on the composer page and can continue editing. Click "Save Draft" to update both the saved draft and the scheduled job. The scheduled send will use the latest saved version of your notice at the time it fires.
Do notice emails count towards my email quota?
Yes. Each notice email counts against the session email quota for your plan. The composer checks your remaining quota before sending and warns you if the number of recipients would exceed your available balance. If you need more capacity, upgrade your plan or purchase an email boost.
Is there a cooldown between notice sends?
No. Unlike invitation emails, which have a 5-minute cooldown between bulk sends, notices have no cooldown. You can send multiple notices in quick succession if needed.
Can I use the notice composer if my session has ended?
No. Once a session is marked as ended, the composer displays a warning banner and disables the send button. Compose and send any post-session notices before closing the session.
Last updated: April 2, 2026