We offer three security setting levels to allow you to tailor your vote integrity to your organization's needs. These settings define three key components of your vote's voting process:
How voters access the ballot.
Who generates the keys to access the ballot, if required (i.e. ElectionBuddy, or the administrator).
The number of times the ballot can be submitted by a specific voter.
The setting that controls this is located on the Details Page of your vote setup:
Let's take a more in-depth look at what each of the integrity settings options does.
High Integrity
If you like the anonymity that ElectionBuddy has always provided, this is the setting for you!
We recommend that, unless you have a very valid reason not to, you go with High Integrity. If your organization's bylaws and legislation require that your vote be certifiable, then you must choose this setting.
How voters access the ballot:
A voter notice is delivered to each voter, which contains the voter's unique voter link (a website address that contains an access key and takes the voters straight to the ballot). The notice is delivered by email, text message, and/or postcard, or is printed and distributed by the administrator.
Alternatively, voters can access the ballot by using a web browser to visit the access link electionbuddy.com/ballot, where they are prompted to enter their access key. The access link can be added to any website.
An access key (a unique, random combination of 16 individual alpha-numeric characters) is required to access the ballot. Optionally, a password can also be used in conjunction with the voting key.
When ElectionBuddy is used to deliver the notice, the access keys/voter links are withheld from the administrator; when an administrator prints or views the key, ElectionBuddy takes note of these actions and the date and time they occurred
Who generates the keys to access the ballot:
ElectionBuddy creates the access keys - one unique key is created for each of your voters.
How many times voters can submit their ballot:
The access key can be used only once; therefore, voters can only vote once.
Medium Integrity
The administrator creates a shared access link for all voters and creates a unique access key for each voter. Best used if you want voters to visit a shared link and sign in to vote.
Please note that if you choose the vote type MeetingVote it defaults to medium integrity. MeetingVote is predicated on voters only having to log in once to the voting process, and therefore their credentials need to remain the same for every MeetingVote ballot that is published; because of this, you will be unable to switch the integrity setting from medium while setting up a MeetingVote.
Because administrators have full access to access keys and passwords, it is not possible for us to ensure voter integrity, as the administrator can vote on behalf of the voter by logging in with their credentials.
How voters access the ballot:
All voters in a vote use a single access link that is specific to that vote (for example, electionbuddy.com/m/organizationkey/electionkey), and enter an access key and a password to access their ballot.
The access link is composed of an organization key (a 10-character identifier, unique to the organization within ElectionBuddy) and a vote key (a unique identifier for a specific vote within the organization's account).
The administrator creates the organization key once for their organization and creates a vote key each time they set up a vote at the medium integrity level. The vote keys cannot be used twice by the same organization.
ElectionBuddy can deliver the access link within a notice to each voter by email, text message, and/or postcard, or can be printed and distributed by the administrator. The access link can also be shared by the administrator without using an ElectionBuddy notice and can be added to a website.
The access link takes them to the sign-in page, where they are prompted to enter their access key and password to vote. Administrators can include a customized prompt for voters.
Who generates the keys to access the ballot:
The administrator creates a unique access key and a password for each of the voters on the voter list. Access key examples include a membership number or an address without spaces. Names and birth dates are typically not used, as they aren't unique. Password examples include other login credentials that the voter would inherently know. For universities, for example, the student's username to log into their online resources would make a great password.
How many times voters can submit their ballot:
The access key can be used only once; therefore, voters can only vote once.
Low Integrity
Great for surveys or polls, when a general population is allowed to participate and vote in your election, or when voters can vote more than once.
How voters access the ballot:
The administrator creates an access link, unique to their election, for their election: for example, electionbuddy.com/m/organizationkey/electionkey.
The administrator must distribute the access link themselves.
To define the "voter list" (i.e. how many potential voters you have in your election), the administrator will be required to set a certain number of ballots that they will allow to be submitted in their vote setup.
Who generates the keys to access the ballot:
A key is not required to access the ballot; only the link is required.
How many times voters can submit their ballot:
Because a key is not required, anyone who knows the link may submit ballots until the vote is maximized on the previously mentioned "Submitted Ballots" limit.