Remote voting allows shareholders to actively participate in the selection of directors and executive decision-making, even when they can’t attend a meeting in person.
As great as this sounds, organizations that want to adopt user-friendly shareholder voting platforms should follow industry best practices to enhance voter accessibility and security of sensitive information and communications.
To get the most from a voting platform, it needs to be flexible and satisfy a range of shareholder requirements. There are many options on the market, so choose one like ElectionBuddy that has extensive resources for shareholder voting.
ElectionBuddy is a cloud-based system that is simple to use, even for those with limited technical skills. To increase familiarity and confidence with remote voting technology, consider running an online demonstration of the platform for shareholders with an example that mirrors an upcoming vote. Record the session so anyone who couldn’t attend the demonstration can watch it later when they have time.
| Best Practice | What It Involves | Why It Matters |
| User-Friendly Voting Platform | Choose an intuitive cloud-based system that shareholders can use easily, even with limited technical experience. | Encourages participation and reduces technical barriers to voting |
| Security and Confidentiality | Use secure login credentials, one-time voting keys, and strong encryption to protect shareholder data. | Protects sensitive information and prevents unauthorized voting activity |
| Audit Trails and Transparency | Maintain detailed logs of voting activity from voter authentication through final vote tally. | Ensures fairness, helps resolve disputes, and builds trust in the voting process |
| Clear and Timely Communication | Provide shareholders with advance notices, voting instructions, and reminders through email, text, or other channels. | Helps shareholders understand the process and increases participation rates |
| Accessible Voting Options | Allow shareholders to vote remotely regardless of location, schedule, or ability to attend meetings in person. | Improves engagement and ensures equal voting opportunities |
| Real-Time Vote Tracking and Reporting | Use platforms that allow administrators to monitor participation and quickly share results once voting ends. | Enables faster decision-making and improves organizational transparency |
Remote voting is generally easier traditional paper based voting methods. To adopt remote electronic voting, an election administrator needs to be familiar with the shareholder base and explain that if a Shareholder can click a link in a text message or access their email, they too can participate in a remote shareholder vote using ElectionBuddy.
Here are some of the best practices that ElectionBuddy weaves into its voting system:
Shareholder information and their voting behaviors must remain confidential at all times. ElectionBuddy assigns personal voting keys to each shareholder that can only be used once.
The platform uses 256-bit encryption (the same standard used by major banks) and requires a second password or phone confirmation. Voting is anonymous, and results are hidden until the voting is complete.
Audit trails in shareholder voting solutions are an integral part of ElectionBuddy software, too. The detailed, chronological reports can be used to ensure votes were cast and counted fairly, resolve disputes, and prevent election fraud.
With ElectionBuddy, shareholders can be reached with personalized election announcements sent via email, mail, text message, website postings, or e-newsletters. Step-by-step instructions and other materials for educating shareholders on voting software also need to be sent well in advance of the vote, so shareholders have time to get familiar with the remote voting process.
Election administrators can use detailed ElectionBuddy reports to communicate details of an election to shareholders and comply with organizational and regulatory requirements.
Because votes are tallied in real time in ElectionBuddy, administrators can quickly share the results rather than waiting for a manual vote to be completed and confirmed. Expedited vote counting allows organizations to be more nimble in executing on business objectives.
The easier a remote voting system is to use, the more shareholders will use it to cast their ballot. Remote voting systems like ElectionBuddy reduce the cost of attending in-person meetings and offer shareholders equal opportunities to participate regardless of their location or schedule.
ElectionBuddy is a go-to cloud-based voting solution that has served more than 100,000 voters in 190 countries and forty-two languages. We have used industry best practices to fine-tune the features on our platform in order to address the essential elements of remote shareholder voting and facilitate a smooth voting process!
© 2011-2026 ElectionBuddy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
