The Case of the OAS FCU
Credit Unions and cooperatives stand to gain a lot from online voting technology. From streamlined election planning and execution, to voting from any location and on any device, coops and credit unions can help boost member engagement even as technology and virtual events become increasingly more important in our everyday lives.
The Organization for American States Federal Credit Union (OAS FCU) provides a great example for just how online voting technology can help meet modern-day challenges.
The Challenge
In 2016, the OAS FCU was looking for a solution that would allow their members to elect nominees for their Board of Directors and Credit Committee. With over 5,000 members, 40% of whom live outside of the United States, ensuring overseas participation in these elections was of the utmost importance.
Additionally, the OAS FCU was also hoping to increase the efficiency of their remote voting processes. Having members vote by postal mail or paper methods is tedious and requires both ample materials and time. Alternatively, holding votes via email or other non-specialized technologies can leave elections vulnerable and prevents full transparency. For these reasons, the OAS FCU selected Invote, Scytl’s online voting solution, allowing all members to exercise their right to vote from any device with an internet connection while offering them sufficient transparency.
The Solution
Prior to their elections, Scytl advised the OAS FCU in defining and adapting their voting processes and procedures to accommodate the online voting channel. Although holding an election online can be very similar to holding a paper-based vote, there are a few special considerations to take into account. Scytl’s election experts walked the OAS FCU through every step to ensure a simple and smooth election.
Once ready, the OAS FCU was able to send secure voting credentials to the members’ emails. When the voting process was opened, members would then use these credentials to access the voting portal and verify their identity as eligible voters. Casting their ballots was a simple process of selecting their preferred choices, confirming their ballot, and casting it with the press of a button. Once voting was completed, the results were calculated and ready for publication in minutes.
The Benefits
In addition to providing an easy-to-use online voting channel accessible from anywhere in the world, Invote also helped strengthen voter confidence in the remote voting process thanks to its strong authentication mechanisms and advanced security protocols, which guarantee voter privacy and the integrity of election results.
Since 2016, OAS-FCU has continued to partner with Scytl to provide free and fair elections to their global membership. Each of these elections has been administered 100% online to give all members an equal opportunity to exercise their right to vote. With this implementation, they have seen both an increased participation rate and high member satisfaction with the solution.
To learn more about how other organizations have benefited from online voting technology, visit Scytl’s customer page and resource center.
