To provide flexibility for all types of votes, ElectionBuddy offers two ways to dictate the running time of your vote. From the Details Page you can either: schedule a start and end date/time; or manually start your vote.
Scheduling a Start Date/Time and End Date/Time
To schedule a vote to open at a certain time from the Details page. Select “Schedule a Start and End time”. Either type or select from the list (the calendar and clock symbols) the respective Dates and Times.
For electronic notices (i.e. email and SMS notices that are distributed by ElectionBuddy) the notices are sent out as soon as your vote reaches its scheduled start time.
By default, votes will automatically end when all voters have voted. To turn that off, uncheck "Automatically end the vote when all voters have voted"
Tips and Tricks
Make sure that the vote is set to the correct time zone before setting the dates and times. If you set the times first and then adjust the time zone, ElectionBuddy adjusts your times according to the time zone you’ve chosen.
The vote start and end date/time input fields are predictive - as you type, they will suggest input for you. To choose the suggested input, click on it, or hit "Enter".
The vote start and end date/time input fields are also "clever". For example, try typing "now" into your vote's start time!
You can choose a time that is not on the quarter-hour
For example, if you are trying to set your vote start time to 2:55 PM, you cannot select this option from the drop-down list that appears when you click the clock-labeled button, and when you type it in, it is going to appear to change to 3:00 PM.
If you've typed in 9:55 AM, and it changes to 10:00 AM, proceed through the rest of your vote setup until you hit "Review". Take a look at your vote's details; the intended time was saved as your vote start time
Manually Starting Your Vote with the Vote Timer
If the start time is flexible, you can manually start the vote using the vote timer. It’s also a great way to control the timing of your meeting agenda items and motions.
To set up a vote with a manual start time, select the “Manually start the vote” option on the Details page. The maximum time a vote can be opened manually is 60 minutes.
By default, votes will automatically end when all voters have voted. To turn that off, uncheck "Automatically end the vote when all voters have voted"
You can enable a countdown timer that will appear at the top of the ballot so that voters know how much time is left in the vote.
Once payment is made, you can either choose to Start Vote now or later depending on your requirements.
If you need to manually start a timed vote please see Manually Starting or Ending Voting. Feel free to reach out to our Success Team with additional questions!