Points Voting Guide
Last updated September 3, 2026
Rank priorities instead of electing people. A Points Vote turns a list of options into a complete ordered list, weighted by how the whole room ranked them.
What is a Points Vote?
A Points Vote (positional scoring, also known as a Borda count) asks each voter to rank their top items in order of preference. Every rank position carries a fixed point value: the top choice scores the highest number of points, the next choice scores one point less, and so on down to 1 point for the last item ranked. VoteAlly totals every voter's points for every item and reports the complete ordering of every item, from highest score to lowest.
Nothing is eliminated and nothing is cut from the results. A Points Vote does not fill seats or elect anyone. It answers a different question: given a list of things the group cares about, in what order does the group actually want them?
Common use cases: capital project priorities, amenity upgrade lists, policy agenda order, committee workplan order, and budget line item priorities. Anywhere the outcome you need is a ranked list rather than a set of winners.
Points Voting vs Ranked Choice Voting
Points voting and Ranked Choice Voting (STV) use the exact same kind of ballot: voters tap items in order of preference. The difference is entirely in what the tally does with those rankings afterward, and that difference is why the two types cannot be merged into one.
STV exists to fill a fixed number of seats. It works in rounds: candidates who meet a quota are elected, the weakest candidate is eliminated each round, and votes transfer to the next preference. Once a candidate is eliminated, the count stops tracking them in any meaningful way, so STV structurally cannot report a full ordering of everyone who ran. There is nothing useful to say about the relative position of two candidates eliminated in early rounds beyond "eliminated early."
Points voting scores every mark at face value from a single pass over the ballots. There is no elimination and no quota, so every item keeps a real score and a real position in the final list, including the items that finished last. The rule of thumb: use ranked choice when you are filling seats or electing people, and points voting when every item's position matters, not just who came out on top.
Setting Up a Points Vote
Choose "Points Vote (Ranked Scoring)" as the question type
From the Session Setup page, add a new question and select "Points Vote (Ranked Scoring)" from the type dropdown. This switches the editor to the Points Vote fields and gives voters the ranked ballot interface.
Enter the "Points Vote Title"
Give the question a clear title describing what is being ranked, for example "Policy Priorities for 2027" (the field's own placeholder example).
Set "Items Each Voter Ranks"
In the Points Vote Rules section, this field does two jobs at once: it sets how many items each voter ranks, and it sets the points scale. A voter's top choice scores that many points, the next choice scores one fewer, down to 1 for the last item ranked. The range is 1 to 50.
Set "Minimum Rankings Required"
Still in the Points Vote Rules section, this sets how many items a voter must rank before submitting, from 1 up to whatever you set for Items Each Voter Ranks. Abstaining is always allowed regardless of this minimum. Which number to choose is the one real judgement call on this question type, covered in the next section.
Add your "Items"
Below the rules, list the items voters will rank. The list is labeled "Items", not "Candidates / Options", because a Points Vote usually ranks things rather than people. If you enter more items than the number you set in step 3, the editor warns you that voters can rank only that many of them.
Save and review
The question list shows a "Points Vote" chip on the question. Points Vote questions count against the same question allowance as Election and Ranked Choice questions on your plan.
Worked Example: 8 Items, Ranking 5
Say you have 8 amenity upgrade proposals and you set Items Each Voter Ranks to 5. Each voter picks and orders their top 5 out of the 8. Because the scale always runs from N down to 1, a voter's choices score:
| Rank | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st choice | 5 |
| 2nd choice | 4 |
| 3rd choice | 3 |
| 4th choice | 2 |
| 5th choice | 1 |
The 3 unranked items score 0 from that ballot. VoteAlly totals every voter's points across all 8 items to produce the final ranked list. For a full tally worked through ballot by ballot, see how points voting ranks priorities.
What is not on this question type: there is no "Number of Winners (Seats)" field, because a Points Vote fills no seats. There is also no "Max Votes per Candidate" field, that setting only exists for cumulative voting on standard Election questions. See the weighted voting guide if you also need to weight ballots by voting power.
Should You Require a Complete Ranking?
Setting Minimum Rankings Required equal to Items Each Voter Ranks requires every non-abstaining voter to rank all of the items they are asked to rank, rather than stopping partway. This keeps every ballot worth the same total number of points, so no voter's ballot counts for less than another's simply because they ranked fewer items.
The trade-off is that it is stricter for voters: someone who feels strongly about only their top 2 choices out of 5 must still rank all 5 before submitting. Set the minimum lower if you would rather let voters rank only what they have an opinion on, and accept that those ballots contribute fewer total points. Abstaining stays available either way, so nobody is forced into a ranking they do not want to make.
What Voters See
Voters see the question labeled Points Vote with a tap-to-rank list of items, the same interaction style as a Ranked Choice ballot.
Ranking items
Voters tap items in order of preference. The first item tapped becomes rank 1, the next tapped becomes rank 2, and so on.
Ranking counter
A counter tracks progress against the limit, for example "3 / 5 Ranked", so voters always know how many more they can rank.
Removing a ranking
Tapping a ranked item again removes it, and the rankings below it renumber to close the gap. If a minimum is set and not met, submitting shows a message naming the number still required, along with the option to abstain.
Abstain
Choosing Abstain clears any rankings already made and bypasses the minimum-rankings rule entirely.
Descriptions
A question-level "Show descriptions" toggle reveals item descriptions and bios for voters who want more detail before ranking.
Confirmation step: before submitting, voters see a confirmation dialog listing their submitted rankings in order, giving them a final chance to review before the ballot is cast.
Split voting is not available on ranked ballots, including Points Votes. A voter with several votes to divide sees: "Split voting is not available on ranked choice items." Their whole weight applies to their ranking instead. See the split voting guide for the question types that do support it.
Weight and Withdrawn Items
How weight works
Voter weight multiplies every point value on that ballot. A voter with a weight of 2 whose top choice on a 5-item ranking would normally score 5 points instead contributes 10 points, because every rank position on their ballot is doubled.
Proxy holders carry the combined weight of everyone they represent the same way. See the weighted voting guide for how weight is assigned to voters.
Withdrawn items
If an item is withdrawn while the question is still open, marks for that item are skipped and the remaining preferences on each ballot move up to take the higher point values, so a voter is not penalized for having ranked it. The withdrawn item still appears in the results, but on zero points and with no rank number, listed below every live item. Withdrawal is available on open and standby questions only: a closed question's results are final, and on a draft you remove the item outright instead.
Reading the Results
The results panel shows every item in score order. There is no top-N cut and no collapsed tail. The bottom of the list is deliberate: it is what the room actually ranked lowest. For each item, the tally reports the total weighted points and its competition rank. It also flags ties and shows how many ballots ranked the item anywhere, and how many ranked it first. The points scale is stated in place on the panel so a reader can see exactly how each score was built.
Ties share a rank
Items that tie share a competition rank, and the next rank skips: 1, 2, 2, 4. Ranks are never renumbered to be sequential. An item that holds no position at all, such as a withdrawn item, is reported without a rank number rather than being placed last.
Provisional and final standings
While voting is still open, the admin sees labeled provisional standings, a projection of what the ranking would be if voting closed right now. After the question closes, the panel shows final standings. Presentation mode on the projector shows the final standings once the question is closed.
CSV export timing
A closed Points Vote question exports the official complete tally. An open or standby Points Vote exports first preferences only, and the export carries an explicit note saying so. Close the question first if you need the full weighted ranking in your export. See the reports and exports guide for the rest of the export options.
Before You Launch: Common Mistakes
- Using points voting when the real goal is electing people. If you need to fill seats, use Ranked Choice or a standard Election question instead.
- Setting Items Each Voter Ranks lower than the number of items that actually matter to your members. That number is also the points scale, so it directly shapes how spread out the final scores are.
- Leaving Minimum Rankings Required at 1 when you actually want every ballot worth the same total. Set it equal to Items Each Voter Ranks for a complete-ranking requirement.
- Expecting a seats field or a max-votes-per-candidate field. Neither exists on this question type, by design.
- Pulling a CSV export while the question is still open and assuming it is the final tally. An open or standby export is first preferences only.
- Withdrawing an item mid-vote without checking how ballot compaction affects the remaining rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Points Vote in VoteAlly?
A Points Vote (labeled "Points Vote (Ranked Scoring)" in the question type dropdown) is a question type where voters rank their top items in order of preference. Each rank position carries a fixed point value: the top choice scores the highest number of points, and each following choice scores one point less, down to 1. The result is a complete ranked list of every item by total score, not a set of elected winners.
What is the difference between points voting and ranked choice voting (STV)?
Both use the same ranked ballot, but the tally is different. Ranked choice (STV) elects a fixed number of winners through quota, elimination, and surplus transfer, so a candidate who is eliminated holds no meaningful final position. Points voting scores every mark at face value and reports the complete ordering of every item, so nothing is eliminated and nothing is left unranked in the results. Use ranked choice to fill seats. Use points voting to produce a ranked list of priorities.
Why is there no "Number of Winners (Seats)" field on a Points Vote?
A Points Vote does not fill seats, so the field is hidden. Its output is a full ranked list of every item, not a subset of winners. If you need to elect a fixed number of people to positions, use a Ranked Choice or standard Election question instead.
Should Minimum Rankings Required equal Items Each Voter Ranks?
It is the recommended setting when you want every ballot to carry the same total points. Setting Minimum Rankings Required equal to Items Each Voter Ranks requires a complete ranking from every voter who does not abstain, so no one can under-rank and reduce their ballot's weight. The trade-off is that it is stricter for voters: they must rank every item they are asked to rank, though abstaining is always available regardless of this setting.
How does voter weight affect a Points Vote?
Weight multiplies every point value on that ballot. For example, a voter with a weight of 2 ranking an item first on a 5-item ranking contributes 10 points to that item, not 5. Proxy holders carry the combined weight of everyone they represent the same way.
Can I export the ranked results before the question closes?
You can, but a CSV export of an open or standby Points Vote contains first preferences only, and the export carries an explicit note saying so. The complete weighted tally, with every item in its final score order, is only available once the question is closed.