Voter list maintenance is an essential (if not glamorous) part of running a smooth election. A key part of this task is aligning changes to membership information stored in voting software for associations with updates to the voter rolls.
There are several ways to do this, including integrating with other systems, contacting individual members to review their profiles, and using voting platforms to automate the list maintenance process.
| Step | Action | Why It Matters |
| 1. Centralize Member Data | Identify where member information is stored (HR systems, CRM, spreadsheets, marketing platforms). | Prevents missing or duplicate voter records |
| 2. Integrate Systems | Sync member databases with voting software using list-integration tools or imports. | Automates updates and reduces manual entry errors |
| 3. Request Member Verification | Send email or postal reminders asking members to confirm or update their information. | Catches outdated contact details before ballots are distributed |
| 4. Monitor Delivery Failures | Track bounced emails and undeliverable mail notifications. | Flags inaccurate records that require correction |
| 5. Verify Voter Eligibility | Confirm membership status and compliance with bylaws or regulations. | Ensures only eligible voters receive ballots |
| 6. Segment Voter Groups | Create subgroups (e.g., apprentices, specific membership tiers) when required. | Enables targeted elections and issue-specific voting |
| 7. Perform Final Database Review | Double-check names, IDs, emails, and required fields before launching the election. | Reduces administrative issues and improves election integrity. |
Every organization is different; member information may already be centralized and well-organized, or it may be scattered across multiple locations. In many cases, employing multiple tactics is the best way to ensure a voter list is as clean and accurate as possible and better support how associations notify members of updates.
Here are a couple of options to consider:
If a department (e.g., human resources, marketing, customer relations, etc.) within an organization already collects member information as part of its routine activities, an election official may be able to extract this data for a voter list.
Using a robust system that has list-integration features can help automate this task. For example, ElectionBuddy can pull information from Gmail, Mailchimp, Microsoft Excel, member management systems like GrowthZone and member authentication systems like Azure Entra, Vantaca, and more.
Email blasts and postcards sent to the membership can help explain member responsibilities in updating voter info and prompt them to submit updates. They also help ensure that any information previously integrated from another system remains up to date.
However, if done manually, this can be a time-consuming, error-prone process, especially for larger organizations. Or it can be expedited and automated with reputable election software.
For example, election administrators can easily sort and filter voter lists in ElectionBuddy to identify bounced emails that require updates. It can also automate email and postal campaigns and notify an organization if postal or email is undelivered, so administrators can focus on more meaningful election activities and update their member engagement systems quickly.
Once information is received, added, or updated, it must be double-checked to confirm that each member is eligible to vote in accordance with the association's bylaws and any applicable laws or regulations. An administrator should verify that voter names, membership IDs, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, etc., are complete and contain no empty fields. This will ensure that election notifications and announcements are received by members.
Depending on the type of election or issue that is up for vote, an administrator may want to create subgroups. For example, if a union needs to vote on a policy that only affects apprentices, a list could be created with just apprentices.
Running an election and managing voter registrations can be overwhelming. ElectionBuddy has supported nearly 350,000 elections run by world-class organizations of all kinds.
Should you need some extra help, our experts are available for setup consultations, ongoing email support, and development of integration strategies and processes. We can also advise you on how to comply with voting standards and regulatory requirements!
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