It is technologically possible to conduct a binding vote that allows approved participants to vote and have instant vote results.
Many of us have experience with running or attending hybrid meetings with informal votes to make decisions. But has the new normal forced you to rethink how to hold a binding election or voting event within specific legal or bylaw requirements?
→ How do you provide choices that accommodate people with varying levels of health risk, adhere to legal requirements, AND ensure the right person voted on the correct agenda item, for the correct vote weight?
This is a question being asked by every election administrator around the world, as well as by major political parties, local town, city, and county councils, unions, and private sector board members. There is no reason that a binding hybrid vote cannot be successfully administered with currently available technology.
It is technologically possible to conduct a binding vote that allows all approved participants (regardless of location) to submit their vote and have instant results for everyone to view from any location. The question is,how do you make this happen for your specific voting event?
The best way to conduct a hybrid vote is to allow your voters to vote from their own personal device (whether they are attending in person or remotely), or give them the option to vote from a device or set of devices at your meeting location. There are many benefits to allowing your participants to choose whether to vote on their personal device or using the onsite devices your organization provides. One benefit is that this can provide you flexibility to adhere to legal requirements while giving you the ability to conduct appropriate voter validation. Some common requirements to consider are:
- Establish a quorum.
- Ensure the right person had the option to vote on the items they were supposed to have access to and were not able to vote for items they were not supposed to have access to.
- Keep votes either public or private, depending on your needs.
- Give you and your voters the option for proxy votes, or weighted votes to provide maximum flexibility.