Feature Focus: Administrator Roles and Permissions

Sometimes, running a vote requires a team effort. Whether you are managing a homeowner association, a student government, or a union, you may need additional team members in ElectionBuddy to help manage voter lists, check reporting, and manage voting kiosks.

However, security and integrity are paramount. You likely don’t want everyone to have access to billing information, or only want specific administrators to have access to voter management and viewing results. Our different administrator roles allow you to delegate essential tasks while maintaining strict access over who can see and do what.

Vote Observer

Transparency is the cornerstone of a trustworthy vote, and that’s where the Vote Observer role comes in. This role is for auditing and oversight. A Vote Observer has access to view the result reports for Running or Completed votes. Their access allows them to verify the count is processed correctly but does not allow a Vote Observer to manage voter lists, enter ballots, or  access the vote configuration.

Vote Clerk

This role is for the “boots on the ground” team members who are there to assist voters directly either face to face or remotely.  A Vote Clerk is primarily focused on the voter list, and paper ballot entry. The Vote Clerk role can help manage the voter list by adding new voters, updating voter contact information, help voters at a voter kiosk with entering the voter credentials, and ensuring the kiosk is ready for the next voter. The Vote Clerk can also enter paper ballots ensuring all eligible ballots are recorded. A Vote Clerk cannot view the voting results or make any changes to the ballot setup or account so this role allows a team member to focus on helping voters cast their ballot to ensure every vote is counted! 

Vote Monitor

The Vote Monitor bridges the gap between helping voters and tracking progress. Unlike the Vote Clerk, a Vote Monitor can access the results page and view reporting. A Vote Monitor can handle managing voting kiosks and enter paper ballots, as well as being able to view the results. This role is ideal for a vote official who needs access to make sure the vote is running smoothly, without having full administrative control.

Election Administrator

Election Administrator is the next level up. A person with the Election Administrator role is able to set up voting in ElectionBuddy, and can create a new, or view incomplete, ready, running, and completed votes. This role can send reminders to eligible voters who have yet to cast their ballot and help in the same ways as the Clerk and Monitor roles. 

They have broad control over the votes themselves, capable of accessing all action menus to assist in live vote management while the vote is running and access to download  results. They cannot edit the Organization details, or add or remove other administrators. This role is perfect for someone who is assisting the main Administrator but is not the main administrator themselves.

Organization Administrator

In addition to everything an Election Administrator can do, Organization Administrators are able to manage the organization itself. This includes updating organization details, for example updating the logo. Organization administrators can add, delete, or update access for other administrators. As well, Organization Administrators can delete past votes. This role is typically held by someone like an IT director who is responsible for the account as a whole, instead of just a single vote.

Organization Owner

At the very top of the hierarchy is the Organization Owner. This is the user who created the ElectionBuddy account and associated organization. They are the ultimate authority, and have access to update billing, ownership transfer, and managing other administrators. The Organization Owner can also add or manage Sub-Organizations and settings related to integrations. This role is also the lone account that is able to Delete the Organization or transfer ownership to another person.

Delegate with Confidence

The best part about our administrator roles is that they allow you to share the workload without worrying. No matter the permission level the integrity and selected settings are honored for your voting. For example, if your vote is set up to be a Secret Ballot, that is respected by all administrators. As well, if the vote is set so that results are not viewable until voting closes, that setting is followed for all administrators. You can assign tasks confidently knowing that the privacy and security of your vote remain as intended.