Overview

The service handles voter notifications, vote collection, counting and winner announcements. Participants can vote by cellphone, computer, tablet or mail, which gives organizers options for remote voters and people taking part during a meeting.

ElectionBuddy’s strongest case is a vote with specific procedural needs: it supports several voting systems, customizable ballots and independently reviewable results that preserve voter anonymity. That breadth is valuable for organizations where a recount or inquiry may matter. A small group running a simple vote may find the range unnecessary.

Key features

Voting rules and ballots

Voting systems include first past the post, cumulative, preferential ballot, STV, scored voting, rating scale and approval voting. Ballots can cover multiple vacancies, randomize candidate or question order, edit descriptions, highlight amendments and strike out words; they can also include documents and website links. This is a good fit for groups that need to reflect established election rules, though organizers must choose a system that matches their process.

Notices, records and integrations

Notices can go by email, mail or text, or through an organization’s website, e-newsletter or existing systems. Microsoft Azure SSO, WordPress, Zapier and Zoom are among the integrations. APIs can add voter lists, administrators, departments and organizations, while webhooks update external systems when voters vote or register—useful for organizations connecting elections to other workflows.

Results and the voting process can be audited, independently reviewed and downloaded for inquiries or recounts while protecting voter anonymity. Customers own account data; records remain during the account lifetime and can be exported in XML, CSV or Microsoft Excel formats. ElectionBuddy forces HTTPS with TLS and HSTS, is PCI DSS compliant, and encrypts payment data before sending it to Stripe. Two-factor authentication is supported.

Pricing

ElectionBuddy uses free and pay-per-use plans, with annual subscriptions for storage and administration. Free MeetingVote supports up to 20 voters and five motions per meeting. Free ElectionVote also caps participation at 20 voters, with results accessible for 30 days. The storage subscription costs 27.00 USD per year and keeps results after that period, with sharing and report downloads.

For elections, Plus costs 29.00 USD per use for up to 350 voters; SMS notice is a 29 USD add-on. Premium costs 99.00 USD per use for up to 1,000 voters, includes SMS notice and three reminders. Professional costs 299.00 USD per use for up to 100,000 voters, with ten reminders and API access and webhooks. These tiers make the voter ceiling and notification needs central to choosing a plan.

MeetingVote Plus costs 197.00 USD per use for up to 75 voters and 20 motions. Premium costs 397.00 USD per use for up to 350 voters and 30 motions. Professional costs 797.00 USD per use for up to 20,000 voters and unlimited motions. Organizations that need retained results and shared administration can instead consider the Platinum subscription at 279.00 USD per year; it includes results storage and three administrators, with voter credits at 59 USD per 500. Email support is included with subscriptions; phone support comes with Expert Setup services.

Platforms

ElectionBuddy supports Android, iOS and web. The range suits organizations whose voters use different devices, while mail remains another voting method for those not voting online.

Who it's for

Professional associations, unions, universities, homeowner associations, schools, political parties, governments, churches and companies are among the organizations using ElectionBuddy. It is most compelling when a group needs a choice of voting rules, multiple participation channels or a defensible record. Smaller or simpler elections should weigh whether they need those capabilities, and account for result storage if records must remain accessible beyond 30 days on the free election plan.

Pros and cons

Pros: Multiple voting systems and customizable ballots accommodate varied election rules and questions.
Pros: Auditable, downloadable results support review and recounts while retaining voter anonymity.
Pros: Email, mail, text and organizational channels give voters several ways to receive notices.
Cons: The free election plan limits use to 20 voters and results to 30 days, so larger groups or longer retention need a paid option.
Cons: SMS costs extra on Plus ElectionVote, and voter limits and motion caps vary substantially by plan.

Alternatives

Online Voting Software is a useful place to compare the category. Choose AssociationVoting if its free tier for 1–25 eligible voters or its 99.00 USD per election tier for 26–125 voters fits the group’s size. POLYAS offers a free Standard online-voting option for up to 50 voters, while its Verifiable plan costs 50.00 USD.

Simply Voting has a free option for elections with 10 electors or less; SnapBallot offers a free election for up to 15 voters and a 49.00 USD per-use tier for 16–250 voters. Election Runner is another free option for up to 20 voters, with a 19.00 USD per-use plan for up to 100. CharterVote is a web-based alternative with a free Starter plan for up to 25 eligible voters per election and results and hosted verification kept for 36 months.

OpaVote has a free tier for up to three simultaneous elections, each with up to 25 voters and 10 candidates, and retains data for up to 10 weeks; its pay-as-you-go plan costs 10.00 USD. VoteHost Elections is a free, self-hosted alternative.

Verdict

Choose ElectionBuddy if your organization needs adaptable voting rules, multiple ways to notify and include voters, and results that can withstand review. Its per-use plans cover a wide range of election and meeting sizes, but the caps, add-ons and separate storage subscription deserve close attention. For small, uncomplicated votes, a narrower free alternative may be the more proportionate choice.

	ElectionBuddy	Lumi Elections
Free plan	Yes
Free trial	Yes
Paid from	$2.25/mo
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	api, Web
Free plan	Yes
Voter authentication	2fa	sso
Ballot types	ranked_choice	ranked_choice
Anonymous ballots	Yes	Yes
Audit trail	Yes	Yes
Voter limit	350 voters
Result export	csv

ElectionBuddy vs Lumi Elections

ElectionBuddy

Lumi Elections