Everything about running an online vote
Practical guidance for organisers running public voting — for competitions, pageants, awards, schools, clubs and events. Written for people who have to defend the result to someone who lost.
All 30 articles are listed below, grouped into 5 topics.
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- Pillar guideWhat Is Online Voting and How Does It Work?Online voting explained: how votes are cast and counted, what stops duplicate voting, where it is used, and how it differs from government elections.
- Pillar guideOnline Pageant Voting: What Organisers Need to KnowThe complete guide to online pageant voting — deciding what votes decide, setting rules, running the campaign, handling disputes and announcing results.
- Pillar guideHow to Run an Online People's Choice AwardSet up a People's Choice award that people take seriously — choosing nominees, setting vote rules, running the campaign and announcing a credible winner.
- Pillar guideHow to Choose an Online Voting PlatformA step-by-step process for choosing voting software — defining requirements, shortlisting, the questions to ask vendors, and how to run a real trial.
- Pillar guideHow to Run an International Online Voting CompetitionRunning a vote across borders — time zones, currencies, languages, uneven connectivity, diaspora voting patterns and the rules that differ by market.
Online voting
The foundations: what online voting is, how to set one up, what it costs, how it compares with paper, and how organisers keep results credible.
7 articles
- What Is Online Voting and How Does It Work?PillarGlobal · 7 min read
- How to Set Up an Online Voting System: A Step-by-Step GuideGlobal · 5 min read
- Online Voting vs Paper Voting: Which Is Better?International / multi-country · 5 min read
- How Much Does an Online Voting System Cost?Global · 5 min read
- What Makes an Online Voting System Secure?Global · 5 min read
- How to Prevent Online Voting FraudGlobal · 5 min read
- Online Voting for Competitions: A Complete GuideGlobal · 5 min read
Pageant & competition voting
Running public voting for pageants and competitions — mechanics, budgets, People's Choice categories, manipulation controls and software selection.
7 articles
- Online Pageant Voting: What Organisers Need to KnowPillarGlobal · 5 min read
- How Does Online Voting Work for Pageants?Global · 5 min read
- How to Set Up Online Voting for a PageantGlobal · 5 min read
- How to Run a People's Choice Award for a PageantUnited States · 5 min read
- How Much Does Pageant Voting Cost?New Zealand & Australia · 6 min read
- How to Prevent Vote Manipulation in PageantsGlobal · 5 min read
- How to Choose Online Voting Software for a PageantGlobal · 5 min read
Awards, events & public voting
Audience-choice voting beyond pageants: awards ceremonies, school and talent competitions, sports club awards and community campaigns.
5 articles
- How to Run an Online People's Choice AwardPillarGlobal · 5 min read
- How to Create Online Voting for an Awards CeremonyUnited Kingdom · 5 min read
- Online Voting for School CompetitionsNew Zealand & Australia · 6 min read
- Online Voting for Talent CompetitionsNew Zealand & Australia · 5 min read
- Online Voting for Sports AwardsNew Zealand & Australia · 5 min read
Voting technology & security
How secure online voting actually works, how fake votes are detected, what makes a voting system fair, and how to evaluate voting software.
6 articles
- How to Choose an Online Voting PlatformPillarGlobal · 6 min read
- How Does Secure Online Voting Work?Global · 6 min read
- What Is a Fair Online Voting System?Global · 5 min read
- How to Detect Fake Votes and Voting FraudGlobal · 5 min read
- Should Online Voting Require Email Verification?Global · 5 min read
- Online Voting Software: What Should You Look For?Global · 5 min read
International online voting
Market-specific guidance for organisers in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, plus running a vote across borders.
5 articles
- How to Run an International Online Voting CompetitionPillarInternational / multi-country · 6 min read
- Online Voting Platforms in New Zealand: What Organisers Need to KnowNew Zealand · 5 min read
- Online Voting Platforms in Australia: What Organisers Need to KnowAustralia · 6 min read
- Online Voting Platforms in the United States: What Organisers Need to KnowUnited States · 6 min read
- Online Voting Platforms in the United Kingdom: What Organisers Need to KnowUnited Kingdom · 6 min read