---
title: Time to Vote Checklist
description: Online Voting
---
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# Time to Vote Checklist
This checklist walks an Admin through holding an online vote, in order: decide how votes are counted, make sure members can log in, create the voting form, put the vote where members can find it, announce it, and review the results. Votes are built with the Voting/Surveys feature. Every ballot is collected and counted automatically.
##### Step 1: Decide How Votes Are Counted
Classic counts votes per member by default. If your community should have one vote per address, turn on the Households feature before you create the vote, and allow voting for the household access types that should vote.
For more detail, see [How do I know if I need to use households?](https://help.hoastart.com/how-do-i-know-if-i-need-to-use-households?hsLang=en) and [An Overview of the Households Feature](https://help.hoastart.com/an-overview-of-the-households-feature?hsLang=en).
##### Step 2: Make Sure Members Can Log In
Only members with a login can vote when you limit the vote to members. Before you open the vote:
1. Click Membership in the left menu, then click Members.
2. Check that every voter is on the list with a correct email address. Add or import anyone who is missing.
3. Turn on Filter To Never Logged In to find members whose Last Login shows N/A, and send them a set-password link so they can log in before voting opens.
For more detail, see [Enter Member Data Manually](https://help.hoastart.com/enter-member-data-manually?hsLang=en), [How do I import members and households?](https://help.hoastart.com/how-do-i-import-members-and-households?hsLang=en), and [How do I send password reset links to members who haven't logged in?](https://help.hoastart.com/how-do-i-send-password-reset-links-to-members-who-havent-logged-in?hsLang=en).
##### Step 3: Create the Voting Form
1. Click Forms in the left menu, then click Voting / Surveys.
2. Click +Add New Survey.
3. Enter a Form Name and a Form Recipient email address. The Submission Response is the message voters see after they submit, and you can leave the default text or change it.
4. Check Make Survey/Poll. This turns the form into a voting form and adds the Make Submissions Anonymous and Survey End Date options.
5. Set your voting rules, described below.
6. Click Save. The form builder opens so you can add the questions and answer choices. Click Add New Section to start, and click Save Form when you finish.
**Voting rules:**
- **Make Submissions Anonymous:** Results show totals only. Nobody, including you, can see who voted or how they voted. Do not use this option if you need to confirm that specific members voted, such as for a quorum count.
- **Survey End Date:** Voting closes on this date. When you set an end date, results stay hidden until the date passes. Anonymous votes also show results only after the vote ends.
- **Members Only:** Limits the vote to logged-in members. You can also pick a member group (tag) to limit it to those members.
- **Household Voting (Limit One Per Address):** If your organization uses Households, check this to limit the vote to one per address.
- **Make Form Uneditable:** Locks the questions after someone has voted. It cannot be undone once saved.
- **Member Dashboard/Portal Accessible:** Lists the vote on the Forms/Polls card of the Member Dashboard, in the Member Portal if you use it, and on the mobile app.
For more detail, see [Ready to vote?](https://help.hoastart.com/how-do-i-create-a-survey-or-poll-o?hsLang=en), [Online Voting and Surveys Overview](https://help.hoastart.com/online-voting-and-surveys-overview?hsLang=en), and [Build a Custom Form](https://help.hoastart.com/build-a-custom-form?hsLang=en).
##### Step 4: Put the Vote Where Members Will Find It
Choose one or both:
- **Member Dashboard, Member Portal, and mobile app:** Check Member Dashboard/Portal Accessible when you create the form. No other setup is needed.
- **A page on your website:** Click Manage Site, click Site Setup, and create a page with the Forms template. Click the Select a form to display here widget, choose your vote, and click Save and Publish. If you skip Save and Publish, your changes are not kept. Select Hide if Not Logged In so only logged-in members see the page. You can also limit the page to members of specific committees or with specific member tags.
For more detail, see [Create a Custom Forms Page and Attach a Custom Form](https://help.hoastart.com/create-a-custom-forms-page-and-attach-a-custom-form?hsLang=en).
##### Step 5: Announce the Vote
Tell members the vote is open, what is on the ballot, and when voting closes. Pick the channels that fit your community:
- Send a message from the Message Center. See [About the Message Center](https://help.hoastart.com/about-the-message-center?hsLang=en) and [Create a New Message](https://help.hoastart.com/create-a-new-message?hsLang=en).
- Post to the Newsfeed. See [Create a Post](https://help.hoastart.com/create-a-post?hsLang=en).
- Add the closing date to your calendar. See [How do I create a calendar and add entries?](https://help.hoastart.com/how-do-i-create-a-calendar-and-add-entries?hsLang=en).
- Send a text alert. See [Send a Text Alert to Members](https://help.hoastart.com/send-a-text-alert-to-members?hsLang=en).
##### Step 6: Watch Participation While Voting Is Open
On Forms, Voting / Surveys, the Submissions column shows how many ballots have been submitted for each vote. Results stay hidden until voting ends when you set an end date or make the vote anonymous.
##### Step 7: Review and Save the Results
1. Click Forms, then Voting / Surveys.
2. In the vote's row, click the three-dot Actions icon, then click View Results to see a graphed summary alongside the original questions, or click Download CSV to save the results as a spreadsheet.
Some Actions menu options do not appear during an anonymous or time-limited vote, or while no one has voted yet.
For more detail, see [View and Export Survey Results](https://help.hoastart.com/view-and-export-survey-results?hsLang=en).
##### Step 8: Close Out the Vote
1. Download the results as a CSV file for your records.
2. When you no longer want the vote to be available, open the Actions menu and click Deactivate, then click Deactivate Form to confirm.
A deactivated form hides its submissions along with it. Turn on Show Inactive and reactivate the form to bring the submissions back.
For more detail, see [Deactivate a Form](https://help.hoastart.com/deactivate-a-form?hsLang=en).
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