ElectionBuddy has built thousands of ballots to help unions with executive elections, contract ratifications, budget approvals, and bylaw amendments.
The team at ElectionBuddy has compiled the following example questions to assist with your vote setup. We do encourage you to refer to your union's voting rules to ensure you use the appropriate voting method and verbiage.
Executive Election - Multiple Vacancy Positions
When electing multiple representatives to a position, you can determine how many choices a voter can select, such as by requiring a voter to select a candidate for all vacancies or just several.
Under add details, you are able to add a photo and biography for each candidate.
ElectionBuddy also allows you to randomize the order of your ballot to prevent the ballot order effect.
Single Vacancy Position
Sometimes, a position is unopposed, so there is only one candidate. If your union voting rules allow, an option is to run a Yes/No vote using the plurality voting method.
There is also the option to include a statement from the candidate in the ballot attachment.
The candidate's name will be in the ballot item title, with the options being yes/no.
Ratification Votes
Another Yes/No question that is common for unions is the ratification of contracts.
You might like to attach a document with details on the vote.
Similar to other Yes/No votes, this can be set up using Plurality voting and Yes/No ballot options.
Nomination Vote
Nomination votes might be held prior to an election to collect candidate nominations or to collect ideas for future meeting locations, lunch providers, etc.
In the example below, the voting system nomination is selected. You are able to determine how many nominations per voter you would like to collect.
ElectionBuddy provides default voting instructions based on the voting method and question settings (comments, abstain, randomize ballot order). These can be disabled by entering your own instructions, then selecting 'disable default voter instructions.'
Strike Vote
Your union might be voting on a decision to strike. When running a Yes/No vote, most organizations use Plurality Voting. Please be sure to consult your organization's voting rules to ensure plurality is the correct voting method.
In the example below, an appropriate ballot item title has been added, plurality voting selected, and the default voter instructions are enabled.
These are just a few ideas to help you get started building your ballot! If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us via live chat or at support at electionbuddy dot com.