Skip to main content

Running an election

Officers create and run chapter elections. The full lifecycle: setup → candidate registration → voting → results.

Create a new election​

  1. Open Operations → Elections.
  2. Click New election.
  3. Set:
    • Title (e.g., "Spring 2026 Officer Transition")
    • Description — what's being voted on
    • Eligibility — which statuses can vote (typically Active Undergrads only)
    • Open and close dates/times — voting window
    • Allow runoffs — automatic runoff if no majority
  4. Click Create draft.

The election creation form. The election creation form.

Add positions​

For each position to be filled:

  1. From the draft election, click Add position.
  2. Set:
    • Title (President, Treasurer, etc.)
    • Seats (most are 1; some committees have multiple)
    • Candidacy method — open candidacy (anyone eligible can self-nominate) or appointed slate
    • Statement length cap — max characters for candidate statements
  3. Save.

Repeat for each position.

Open candidacy registration​

If you used open candidacy:

  1. Click Open candidacy to start the nomination period.
  2. Members can navigate to the election and click Run for [position].
  3. They write a statement and submit.

If you used appointed slate, manually add each candidate.

Verify ballot​

Before opening voting:

  1. Click Preview ballot.
  2. Walk through it as if you were a voter.
  3. Check that:
    • Positions are in the right order
    • Candidates are listed correctly
    • Statements display properly

Anything wrong? Edit the draft. You cannot edit once voting opens.

Open voting​

  1. Click Open voting on the election day.
  2. The voting window opens at the time you scheduled.
  3. Eligible voters get a push notification and dashboard banner.

Monitor​

While voting is open, you'll see:

  • Total ballots cast (for quorum)
  • Eligible voters who haven't voted (so you can send reminders)

You cannot see how anyone voted, only whether they voted.

Send reminders​

From the live election:

  1. Click Send reminder.
  2. Choose channels: in-app, email, push.
  3. Confirm.

This pings only members who haven't voted.

Close voting​

Voting closes automatically at the scheduled time. To close early:

  1. Click Close voting.
  2. Confirm.

Once closed, the ballot is locked. Results are computed.

Runoffs​

If you enabled runoffs and no candidate gets a majority:

  1. A runoff election is automatically created with the top contenders.
  2. Set the runoff voting window (default: 24 hours).
  3. Voters get notified.

Publish results​

  1. Open the closed election → Results.
  2. Review the breakdown by position.
  3. Click Publish results.

Members can now see the totals on the same screen. Winners are notified.

Export​

From Results, click Export for an XLSX of:

  • Total votes per candidate
  • Turnout per position
  • Voter turnout overall (counts only, not identities)

Tips​

  • Test with a fake election if it's your first time. Create one, vote yourself, close it. Get comfortable before the real one.
  • Schedule a buffer. Don't open voting at 11:59pm if it closes at 12:00. Give people a day.
  • Communicate the schedule. Post a bulletin and announce in chapter meeting before voting opens.