Election companies take care of list management, custom e-ballot creation and tabulation, and reporting, among other services. For groups facing potentially contentious elections, outsourcing also ensures that member votes are collected and counted fairly, without the risk or appearance of tampering or inappropriate intervention by staff. Associations often pay a per election fee for such services. Though the most sophisticated online election services and election management software offer a laundry list of special reports, polling and marketing features, and other bells and whistles, most associations need only a minimum level of technology to start online voting. The simple electronic ballot is placed on the regional Internet-based MLS, with direct links to the Web site candidate page.
Voting is open for two weeks.
When members log on to the MLS with their ID and password, a pop up screen appears asking if they want to vote. Members then choose a candidate and submit their vote. Once a member has decided on a candidate, total voting time is less than 10 seconds, says Singleton, and the pop-up screen does not appear again for that member during the election period. However, until they vote, they have to answer the pop-up screen before they can access the system each time they log on during the election period. The resulting database from the program includes the voting member's license number, name, candidate selection, and the date and time that the ballot was cast.