Answers,
fast.

Open the link from your union's notice (or go to Find your ballot and enter the Ballot ID). Enter your first name, last name, and membership number exactly as your local has them on file, check the attestation box, mark your ballot, review it, and cast it.

Three things to check: (1) spelling of your first and last name as your local recorded them (nicknames or maiden names may differ); (2) your membership number, entered with no extra spaces; (3) that you were on the eligible-voter list your local uploaded. If it still fails, contact your election committee - they can confirm your record or correct it. For their privacy protection, our support staff cannot see or change your membership record.

Enter it on the identify screen after your name and membership number. It is unique to you and works once. If you received more than one email, use the code from the most recent one; older codes stop working when a new one is sent.

No. Once cast, your ballot is sealed with encryption and cannot be retrieved, changed, or withdrawn - by anyone. That permanence is what makes the ballot secret. Review carefully before you press Cast.

Yes. Your ballot is encrypted the instant you cast it and is stored with no link of any kind back to you. The voter list records only that you voted and on what date - never how. No one, including your officers and including the people who run this platform, can see how you voted. See our privacy page.

A CSV (comma-separated) file with a header row containing at least member_number, first_name, and last_name. An email column is optional and enables email invitations. Common spellings such as "Member #" or "Last Name" are recognized. Export one from a spreadsheet with File → Save As → CSV.

The preview names every skipped row and why. The usual causes: a missing header row; a member with no membership number; a duplicate membership number (only the first is kept); or an invalid email (the voter is kept, but without email). Fix those rows in your spreadsheet and re-upload - uploading replaces the whole list, so upload the complete corrected file.

Yes. On the Voter list page you can add a single voter, and fix or add an email address per voter. After the polls open, the list is locked to preserve the audit trail, but you can still record a late eligibility determination - it is logged with your stated reason.

The "membership number" is just a unique identifier you assign - it does not have to be an official union ID. Options that work well:

• Employee or badge number - if everyone already has one.
• A number you generate - put a sequential number (1, 2, 3…) or a random code in the member_number column of your CSV, and tell each member theirs.
• One-time voting codes - choose the "voting code" identification option when creating the election. The system generates a unique code per voter that you distribute; members still enter their name, and the code is the secret. This is the best choice when there is no pre-existing number.

Whatever you choose, it must be unique per voter and known only to that voter and your committee.

Each membership number must be unique. If your source data has duplicates, append a suffix (e.g. 4021-A, 4021-B) or switch to generated voting codes. The upload preview flags duplicates before anything is saved.

For a code-protected election, the codes are generated when you upload the roster and download as a CSV once - they are stored only as encrypted hashes and cannot be shown again. Save that file, then distribute codes by mail, in person, or via the built-in email invitations.

Re-upload the roster to generate fresh codes, or use email invitations, which generate and send a new code per voter. A member's previously delivered code keeps working until a new one is actually delivered, so no one is locked out mid-election.

Include an email column in your roster, open the polls, then on the Open the polls page click Send invitations. Each voter gets the link, identification instructions, and (for code elections) their code. Use Resend to everyone who hasn't voted for a turnout reminder.

Invalid addresses are listed so you can fix them with Save email on the Voter list, then send again. If the email service was briefly unavailable, just press the button again - nobody's existing code stops working, and only unsent voters are retried. Very large lists send in batches; press the button again to continue.

Open your Billing page - it automatically checks with Stripe and adds any completed payment to your account. If a checkout was interrupted, the Billing page shows the unfinished order with a Complete payment button that verifies with Stripe first, so you can never be charged twice.

Refresh the page (hold Shift and reload) and try again. If it still fails, the error banner will quote the exact reason. Email help@easysecretballot.com with that message and we'll resolve it.

Each election credit is $10. If you bought one in error, email help@easysecretballot.com before using it and we'll refund it. Payments are processed by Stripe; your card details never touch our servers.

Each credit covers one election up to 2,000 voters. For a larger electorate, contact team@easysecretballot.com before buying and we'll set it up for you.

Create the election (title, dates, identification method, teller passphrase) → build the ballot → upload the voter list → open the polls → (optional) email invitations → close & count with the teller passphrase → publish and certify. A checklist on the Open the polls page keeps you on track.

It's the key that unseals the ballot box at counting time, and we never store it - so while the polls are open, nobody (not even us) can read a single ballot. If every teller passphrase is lost, the ballots stay sealed permanently and the election must be re-run. Write it down, seal it in an envelope, and have your teller sign across the flap. Choose two-teller mode to require two people.

Yes. On the Voter list, "Print paper ballot" marks a member as voting on paper (ending their electronic eligibility so nobody votes twice) and prints a ballot. Enter the hand-counted paper totals on the Close & count page; the report totals both methods, separately and together.

No - and that's deliberate. Live turnout counts are visible, but no one can see vote totals until the polls close and a teller unseals the box. This protects the fairness of the election.

There is no record anywhere linking a voter to a ballot - not encrypted, not hashed, not logged. Ballots are sealed with public-key encryption at the moment of casting, stored in random order with a date but no timestamp, and the decryption key is protected by a teller passphrase we never hold. Full detail is on our compliance page.

The platform is built to satisfy the technical requirements of the LMRDA secret-ballot rules for union officer elections and the IAFF's electronic-voting requirements. See the compliance page for the specifics and citations. Procedural duties (notice, nominations, observers) remain with your committee.