SnapBallot Frequently Asked Questions.

Yes, but only before voting has opened. If a ballot has been created but voting has not yet started, administrators can permanently delete the ballot, any candidates (voting options), supporting information, voters, and emails from the Ballot Settings page.

Online voting can offer security advantages over traditional paper ballots. Paper ballots may be lost, damaged, miscounted, or delayed, while secure online voting platforms can provide safeguards such as voter authentication, encryption, audit trails, and automated vote counting to help reduce human error and protect voter privacy. Ultimately, election security depends on the safeguards, processes, and technology used to administer the election.

Preliminary results allow election administrators to view live results as votes are submitted, before the election has closed.

When Preliminary Results are enabled, the Voter Log and voter statuses are hidden until the election closes to protect voter integrity.

The Preliminary Results setting cannot be changed once voting begins, whether it was initially enabled or disabled. Be sure to select your preferred setting before opening the election.

To view live results while your election is open, the Preliminary Results feature must be enabled. On the Settings page, select the Preliminary Results checkbox under Election Transparency.

Weighted voting is common among HOAs, member associations, boards, committees, and other organizations where voting power varies based on factors like ownership, shares, or membership structure. It works well when a one-person-one-vote model doesn’t reflect how voting rights are allocated within the organization.

No. Voters cast their ballots the same way regardless of their weight. SnapBallot handles the calculations behind the scenes.

Yes. You can add or update weights at any point on the Voters page, including after invitations go out or after voting has begun. If a voter’s weight changes after they’ve already voted, Snapballot automatically recalculates the results to reflect the updated weight. The voter doesn’t need to recast their ballot.

Yes. SnapBallot supports both whole numbers and decimal values, giving you the flexibility to assign vote weights that accurately reflect your organization’s voting structure.

You can add weights manually when creating or editing a voter, or upload them in bulk by adding a Vote Weight column to your voter list before uploading it as a CSV or Excel file. Every voter starts with a default weight of 1, so you only need to make changes where weighting applies.

It depends on whether the voter has already submitted their ballot.

If the voter has not yet voted: You can update their Region from the Voters page and send them a new invitation. When they access their ballot, they will see the offices and candidates associated with that Region.

If the voter has already submitted their ballot: You can still update their Region on the Voters page, but the voter will not be able to submit another ballot or update their previous vote.

Tip: To help avoid this situation, review voter records and Region assignments before launching your election.

No. Once an election has opened and voting has begun, the election open and close dates cannot be changed. Please review your election schedule carefully before launching your election.

Every SnapBallot plan includes two reminder emails. For longer voting periods, consider sending one additional reminder. Each participation reminder historically increases voter turnout by an average of 5%.

No, a member ID is not required in your voter database. If your organization does not use member IDs or another unique identifier, you can upload your voter list without one. If member IDs are available, you may include them in the voter file and map them during the upload process.

While individual choices remain private, SnapBallot provides results and turnout data to ensure election integrity.

SnapBallot supports anonymous voting for board elections, bylaw amendments, contract ratifications, and other election types where voter privacy is essential.

Yes. SnapBallot is a mobile-friendly anonymous voting app that works on phones, tablets, and desktops.

Absolutely. SnapBallot uses encrypted vote storage and secure access protocols to protect voter privacy.

No. Admins can only view participation data (who voted), not individual choices.

Yes. SnapBallot ensures that voter selections remain private. Admins can see who voted, but never what they voted for.

Yes, reminder emails only go to member who have not yet submitted their ballot.

If they save but do not submit, the email will not by default tell them that. You can add that custom text to each of the reminders. From the reminder, once they click into their ballot, they will see that the votes have been saved, but not submitted.

If you would like to collect or confirm voter email addresses, you may optionally add a separate ballot item with a write in field. This ballot item is informational only and does not affect ballot access or vote validation.

For example, you could add a ballot item titled:
“Voter Email Validation”

With a single write in option labeled:
“Type your email address in the box below.”

Voters can then type their email into the write in field. After the election, you can view write-ins to compare the entered email addresses against the email list you have on file.

This approach allows you to collect or audit email information without requiring email entry to vote.

Email addresses are used to deliver ballots, not to independently verify voter identity. Voters are considered eligible based on the list you upload. Before sending, SnapBallot will flag any invalid email addresses so you can correct them and help ensure successful delivery.

Yes, the other category can be used for more than one filed or column in your voter database.

Each election includes 3 emails! The first is sent on your election open date, and the other two can be scheduled any time during your voting period. Need more? Simply schedule as many as you need on the Emails page, additional charges will be displayed.

Additional charges for exceeding the number of voters or emails included in your plan will be billed within 30 days of the close of your election.

Yes, you can set the min and max voting requirements per office/voting item. While you are building the ballot, SnapBallot will display a warning if you do not have enough candidates to meet the minimum vote setting

Yes. SnapBallot supports weighted voting, allowing votes to be counted based on shares, allocation, or other weighting rules defined by your organization. Weights are applied during voting using your voter data provided.

Yes. SnapBallot provides online voting security through end-to-end encryption, secure vote authentication, and detailed audit trails. The platform is powered by Survey & Ballot Systems, a SOC 2 Type 2 compliant election services provider, and runs on Microsoft Azure.

Every vote is logged and timestamped, so you have a clear audit trail to review if something looks off. For additional information, visit our resource center.

Yes. All data sent through SnapBallot, including voter information, is protected with end-to-end encryption.

SnapBallot is powered by Survey & Ballot Systems, which is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant. That means an independent auditor has reviewed and verified the security controls behind this secure voting system, including how your organization’s election data is protected.

Each voter receives a single-use magic link tied to their identity. Once that link is used to cast a vote, it can’t be reused, which ensures every participant votes only once.

Yes. You can add multiple people to your account to help run your SnapBallot Elections. A Ballot/Election Admin from the Ballot setting page. Ballot admins can see all areas within SnapBallot of the election they are assigned to. You can also add an Organization Admin from the Organizations page located in the right corner of the page. Organization Admins can create new elections and see all elections within your SnapBallot account.

Most organizations keep their election open for 15–21 days, though the appropriate voting period may vary based on your organization’s bylaws or governing documents.

SnapBallot is designed for online voting, so voters who need a paper ballot or don’t have an email address should be left off the voter list you upload to SnapBallot. Manage those paper ballots separately, then combine the paper ballot results with your SnapBallot totals when calculating the final election results. If you need a third party to print, mail, receive, and tabulate paper ballots, Survey & Ballot Systems can help.

A ballot session will time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. If a voter has less than 5 minutes remaining before the election closes, they will see on-screen alerts and a countdown timer warning them that voting will end soon.

SnapBallot can supplement or replace in‑person or paper voting for organizations looking to increase accessibility, streamline administration, and reduce manual processing while still maintaining structured voting rules and reporting. Always confirm online voting is allowed in your bylaws before running an online only election.

SnapBallot provides results reports, turnout summaries, voter participation logs, and downloadable data files. These reports are designed to support transparency while maintaining voter privacy.

No. Once a ballot is submitted, votes cannot be changed. However, voters can save their ballot and return later to review or update selections until they choose to submit and the election closes.

There is no limit to the number of admins you can have in SnapBallot. Learn about the roles and details of Election and Organization admins in our FAQs.

The Safe Sender email should be sent outside of SnapBallot. This can be sent via your current email newsletter, shared on social media or posted on your website. This helps create awareness about the election and encourages voters to add SnapBallot’s email address to their safe sender list.

Yes. Organizations can run multiple elections (separate fees apply) simultaneously or back‑to‑back, each with its own ballot, voter list, schedule, and reporting.

Most elections can be set up in a short amount of time once your voter list and ballot details are ready. The platform is designed to guide admins through ballot creation, voter uploads, and email scheduling step by step.

SnapBallot is commonly used by HOAs, food coops, associations, unions, sports clubs, and member‑based organizations that need a secure and accessible way to run elections or voting events.