| Requirement | Dublin Front Runners specification |
|---|---|
| Organization type | Volunteer-led LGBTQ+ sports club (600+ members) |
| AGM format | Hybrid (in-person + Google Meet) |
| Election type | Chairperson (1 seat) + Committee (9 seats, 14 candidates) |
| Previous system | Paper ballots, in-person voting |
| Key concerns |
Security, anonymity, quorum validation, data protection, first-time digital voting |
2. Organizing a First Digital Election with a High Quorum Requirement
3. Why Meeting the Quorum Was Essential for the Election
4. Discovering NemoVote: Free Demo and EU-Based Platform
5. Why Secure Email Authentication Was Crucial for Voting
6. Magic Links and Excel Upload Simplified the Election Setup
7. How a Live Test Vote Reduced Stress Before the Election
8. Ensuring Transparency and Oversight in the Voting Process
9. Election Results and Member Feedback After Voting
10. Does Digital Voting Affect Member Participation?
11. Key Lessons for Sports Clubs Considering Online Elections
12. Why Mark Armstrong Recommends NemoVote
13. The Future of Digital Elections for Volunteer Organizations
When Dublin Front Runners, Ireland’s largest LGBTQ+ running club with over 600 members, held their Annual General Meeting, the stakes were high.
For the first time, the club:
With NemoVote, the election was conducted securely, transparently, and seamlessly: with live results, Magic Links, and full transparency.
Dublin Front Runners is a sports club, playing a key role of Ireland’s LGBTQI+ community and part of the International Front Runners network, connecting running clubs across Europe, North America and beyond.
As a volunteer-led organization, elections are constitutionally critical.
This year brought several new challenges:
“An election is an integral part of our constitution. That is the backbone of our club.”
– Mark Armstrong, Chairperson
To legally hold the AGM, Dublin Front Runners needed:
Four volunteers managed attendance:
Only verified, paid members were admitted and included in the quorum calculation.
Once email addresses were collated and confirmed, the meeting could officially proceed.
Reaching quorum was constitutional.
Before choosing NemoVote, the club explored multiple online solutions.
What convinced Dublin Front Runners to choose NemoVote?
Mark Armstrong : “You’re literally getting all the features in the free demo. That was very nifty: you can really feel how the system works.”
The ability to test everything without restriction, built trust early on.
After a first setup with the NemoVote team, Dublin Front Runners opted for individual email-based authentication.
Each member:
Mark describes it as:
“Your digital passport.”
This eliminated:
Security became the decisive factor for committee approval.
Instead of usernames and passwords, members received Magic Links.
Mark Armstrong: “It was so seamless. People could just jump onto the system really quick: but it was still very secure.”
What Mark expected to be difficult: uploading 600+ members, turned out to be simple:
“I thought putting everyone’s data in would take forever. It was seamless.”
Even during the live meeting, additional verified members could be added quickly without disrupting the process.
Before the actual election, NemoVote suggested a test vote.
Question sent to all members:
“Is today Tuesday? Yes or No.”
Both online and in-person attendees participated.
Mark Armstrong: “That just cleared the room of any negativity. Every company should do that.”
Only one participant needed a few extra minutes due to a refresh delay: resolved calmly.
To ensure full legitimacy, Dublin Front Runners added multiple layers of control:
NemoVote allowed administrators to see:
Mark Armstrong: “You can see that Mary Byrne (i.e) has voted: but not how she voted. That was a game changer.”
Both votes ran in quick succession.
Mark’s summary on the question what he loves the most:
“It’s everything. It’s the data collection, the results within seconds, the pie charts: it’s all at your fingertips.”
One concern before the AGM:
Would going digital reduce engagement?
The opposite happened.
Mark Armstrong: “They were even more engaged. It became very interactive.”
1. Always run a test vote
Even a simple question reduces anxiety and builds trust.
2. Keep authentication secure
Individual email access ensures integrity.
3. Add oversight if needed
An election board builds additional trust.
4. Digital saves volunteer hours
No printing, no counting, no manual verification.
5. Live support matters
Even if rarely needed, having support in the background increases confidence.
“Absolutely, I’d recommend NemoVote to everyone. The support is incredible. You’re not talking to a robot: you’re talking to the team who built it.”
For Ireland’s sports ecosystem, he sees major potential:
“There are huge clubs across Ireland that need this kind of system.”
Digital voting is the logical next step.
More success stories:
FIVA's hybrid General Meeting: Proxy voting with weighting
Hybrid voting at World Sailing's General Assembly: AGM elections
Start a free test vote in NemoVote or book a live demo today.