Simply Voting

Simply Voting is a web-based election service for organizations that need structured voting rather than an informal poll. It is best suited to associations, schools, unions, governments, companies, cooperatives, condominiums, political parties, and clubs that need configurable ballots and accountable results. Its broad election workflow and support options are compelling, but small groups should compare voter caps and premium charges before committing.

Overview

Election Manager covers the administrative work around a vote: setting dates and questions, selecting voter authentication, and uploading an eligible-voter list. During the election, Simply Voting issues receipts, prevents a second submission in the same election, tabulates ballots, and can publish results with downloadable vote and receipt-code files for verification. Anonymous ballots and an audit trail add useful separation and traceability for formal elections.

The service supports multiple-choice, write-in, and preferential ballots. Candidate photographs, descriptions, and voter comment boxes allow a ballot to carry more context than a basic survey. Up to 18 interface translations and regular audits against Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 requirements make it more practical for multilingual and accessibility-conscious electorates.

Key features

• Authentication: SAML, OpenID Connect, CAS, and a proprietary single sign-on link connect the election to an organization's existing identity system. That is particularly useful when eligibility is managed through member, student, or employee accounts.
• Voting channels: Automated telephone voting and hybrid internet-and-paper elections can feed one unified tally. These options suit electorates that cannot all vote online, but they are premium services with additional costs.
• Ballot flexibility: Ranked-choice voting, write-ins, candidate information, and comments support elections with more involved rules than a yes/no motion. Weighted votes, online nominations, and voter segmentation are also premium features, so specialized processes can increase the bill.
• Security and assurance: Communications use TLS 1.3 and the database is encrypted at rest with AES-256. Simply Voting states that it is SOC 2 Type 1 compliant, while its Hut 8 Canada data centers are SOC 2 Type 2 compliant.
• Availability and support: A 100% monthly availability guarantee excludes planned maintenance and provides credits for unavailability. Self-service elections include phone and email support, with professional support stated as available 24 x 7 x 365.

Pricing

The freemium structure gives a genuinely free route for very small votes, while larger elections are priced according to electorate size or by quotation.

The free plan is tightly capped, and the paid plans do not publish a flat price. That makes Simply Voting easier to justify when election administration or mixed voting channels matter than when you only need an inexpensive one-off poll. Confirm the cost of premium functions such as telephone voting, weighted votes, nominations, and segmentation alongside the electorate-based fee.

Platforms

Simply Voting runs on the web and has Android and iOS support, allowing voters and administrators to use mobile devices as well as desktop browsers.

Who it's for

Choose it when your organization needs a formal process from voter eligibility through verifiable result reporting, especially with ranked-choice ballots, single sign-on, accessibility requirements, or paper and telephone participation. It is less persuasive for a tiny election above the ten-elector free limit, a simple informal poll, or a buyer that requires transparent self-serve pricing before setup.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Election Manager combines voter-list upload, authentication, ballot configuration, tabulation, receipts, and result exports in one workflow.
• Preferential voting, write-ins, anonymous ballots, audit trails, and up to 18 translations cover demanding organizational elections.
• TLS 1.3, AES-256 at-rest encryption, stated SOC 2 compliance, and an availability guarantee provide concrete operational assurances.
• Hybrid internet-and-paper and automated telephone options accommodate voters who cannot use one channel.

Cons

• The no-cost plan ends at 10 electors, limiting its usefulness for many real elections.
• Self-administered and managed plans use custom pricing, so budgeting requires a calculator or quote.
• Telephone voting, nominations, weighted voting, and voter segmentation add cost rather than arriving in the standard offering.

Alternatives

Browse Online Voting Software for a wider comparison. AssociationVoting is worth considering for a freemium service with a free 1–25-voter election and a published 99.00 USD price for 26–125 voters. Choose ElectionBuddy if its pay-per-use MeetingVote or ElectionVote free tiers match your meeting or election size. SnapBallot has a free election up to 15 voters and a 49.00 USD one-time tier for 16–250 voters. Election Runner offers a free tier up to 20 voters and a published 19.00 USD tier up to 100. ElectIQ provides a free plan for up to 30 voters. POLYAS offers a free tier up to 50 voters, while its Verifiable tier starts at 50.00 USD. VoteAlly has a forever-free plan for 50 eligible voters per session but no free trial. VoterTerminal suits organizations wanting self-hosting, with unlimited elections and voters on its free self-hosted plan.

Verdict

Simply Voting is a strong choice for organizations running consequential elections that need configurable ballots, controlled authentication, accessibility support, and verifiable reporting across online, telephone, or paper channels. Choose it for the complete managed or self-administered workflow; look elsewhere if your election is small, straightforward, or must have a clearly published price for every capability.