Election committee & election manager: Role separation in online elections with NemoVote enables...
Comments on ballots allow voters to leave reasons, nominations or additional information directly on the ballot. The feature makes online elections more interactive and gives organizations valuable feedback - without additional tools or surveys.
Chapter
- (TL;DR) Short and sweet
- Why comments on ballots are useful
- How comments on ballots work
- Use cases: From nominations to substitutions
- Technical details: anonymity, export and integration
- Conclusion: More interaction, more context
Short and sweet
With comments on ballots, voters can explain their decision directly, make nominations or provide additional information - all in the same system, without separate surveys or emails.
The feature can be activated optionally, works for secret and open elections and appears as a simple text field directly on the ballots. Admins see all comments in the results log and can optionally transfer them to the PDF export.
Why comments on ballots are useful
Traditional online elections focus on yes/no or selection answers - but often the context is missing: Why was it voted this way? Who is being nominated? What additional information is relevant?
Without a comment function, organizations either have to create separate surveys, collect emails or do without feedback. This is inefficient and leads to data silos.
Comments on ballots solve the problem elegantly:
- Voters submit their vote and context in one step.
- Admins receive structured feedback directly in the voting system.
- No additional tools or processes required.
How comments on ballots work
The function is deliberately kept simple and seamlessly integrated into the ballots.
Activation and visibility
- Admins or organizers activate comments per election or per question.
- Voters see an optional text field directly on the ballot - below the choices, above the "Cast vote" button.
- Comments are optional - voting without comments is possible.
Enter and submit
- Voters enter their comment as free text - there is no character limit.
- Comments are sent together with the vote and cannot be changed afterwards.
- No additional click, no separate step - all in one workflow.
Anonymity and allocation
- In secret elections, comments remain anonymous - it is not possible to trace who wrote which comment.
- In (non-secret) open elections, comments are assigned to the person voting.
- Admins see comments in the results log in NemoVote and can optionally transfer them to the PDF export.
Use cases: From justifications to substitutions
Reasons for controversial votes
Many union elections use comments during a vote on a collective bargaining strike. Some of the members use the field to justify their approval or concerns - the election management was delighted by the constructive encouragement in the comments.
Nominations in open elections
In elections with open nominations, voters can propose names directly on the ballot:
- Ballot question: "Who do you nominate for the office of Treasurer?"
- Comment field: "I nominate Jane Doe, (because...)"
Proxies and attendance information
GO! and other customers use comments to clarify attendance at meetings in advance:
- Selection options: "I'm coming myself" / "No one is coming" / "A deputy is coming"
- Comment field: Name and contact details of the deputy + further information if necessary.
In this way, attendance organization is handled directly in the voting system - without separate Excel lists or emails.
Feedback on resolutions or amendments to the articles of association
When voting on amendments to the articles of association or resolutions, members can express suggestions for improvement or concerns directly - even if they vote "yes".
Technical details: anonymity, export and integration
Immutability and sealing
- Comments cannot be changed after they have been submitted - just like the vote itself.
- In elections with sealed voting, comments are also sealed and only visible after the seal is broken.
Visibility and export
- Comments appear in the admin results log directly next to the election results.
- They are displayed together with admin/organizer comments (from "Comment on vote") - so the entire context is in one place.
- Optionally, comments can be included in the PDF export - e.g. for minutes or documentation.
Integration with other features
- Election manager roles: Organizers can see comments if they have been given permission.
- Vote commenting: Admin/Organizer comments and voter comments are displayed side by side in the results log.
- Sealed voting: Comments remain sealed until the seal is broken.
GDPR and data protection
Comments are treated like all other election data:
- In secret elections, comments are anonymous and not personal.
- In open elections, they are assigned to the person voting - in accordance with the GDPR with clear purpose limitation (election implementation).
- Storage is encrypted on EU servers, deletion after retention period.
Conclusion: more interaction, more context
Comments on ballots are a simple but effective feature for organizations that want to get more than just numbers from their elections. They enable direct feedback, justifications and additional information - all in the same system, without media discontinuity.
Whether it's collective strike votes with constructive encouragement, proxy messages at meetings or nominations with context - comments on ballots make online elections more interactive and informative.
If you want to give your voters a voice - not only when voting, but also when explaining - this feature is the right choice.
