Simply Voting

Simply Voting is an online election service for organizations that need to configure ballots, verify eligible voters, and publish results. It suits associations, schools, unions, and other groups running formal elections; its strongest case is a managed process with multiple ballot formats, while advanced voting options can add cost.

Overview

Election Manager gives administrators control over election dates, ballot questions, voter lists, and authentication. The service prevents a voter from submitting more than once in an election, issues voting receipts, and can publish results alongside downloadable vote and receipt-code files for verification. That combination makes it more than a ballot form: it supports a documented election workflow. Anonymous ballots and an audit trail are supported.

Ballots can use multiple choice, write-ins, or preferential voting, with candidate photos, descriptions, and voter comment boxes. The interface supports up to 18 translations and is regularly audited against Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 accessibility requirements. Those options help organizations serve varied electorates, though telephone voting, weighted votes, nominations, and voter segmentation are premium features with additional costs.

Key features

• Voter authentication: Supports SAML, OpenID Connect, CAS, or a proprietary single sign-on link, useful for organizations that already manage member or employee identities.
• Voting channels: Automated telephone voting and hybrid internet-and-paper elections with a unified tally are available as company offerings; telephone voting carries an additional cost.
• Results and verification: Results can be published with downloadable vote and receipt-code data, and results can be exported as CSV.
• Security and availability: The company says communications use TLS 1.3 and its voting database is encrypted at rest with AES-256. It states that Simply Voting is SOC 2 Type 1 compliant and its hosting data centers are SOC 2 Type 2 compliant. A 100% monthly availability guarantee excludes planned maintenance and includes credits for unavailability.
• Support: Self-administered elections include phone and email support; professional support is available 24 x 7 x 365.

Pricing

The freemium offering includes a free option, but its electorate cap is unusually tight for organizational elections: the free plan covers 10 electors or less. That is suited to a very small vote, not a typical association or institutional election.

• Elections with 10 electors or less: free, for 10 electors or less.
• Self Administered Elections: custom pricing, billed as election-sized fees based on the number of eligible voters. The self-managed Election Manager includes email and phone support and all standard voting system features. Fees based on electorate size make it the relevant option for organizations comfortable running the election themselves.
• Managed Elections: custom pricing by quote. This full-service internet voting plan includes a dedicated project manager and scheduled reports, with optional telephone, postal mailing, and paper voting. It is the better fit for organizations seeking operational help, but its optional channels may raise the cost.

A free trial is offered. The free plan's voter ceiling and the additional cost of premium features matter more than the freemium label: groups needing weighted votes, online nominations, segmentation, or telephone voting should budget for a paid arrangement.

Platforms

Simply Voting supports web, Android, and iOS. Its web-based election workflow pairs with mobile platform support for voters, while identity integrations can connect voting access to an organization's sign-on system.

Who it's for

Associations, educational institutions, unions, governments, political parties, cooperatives, condominium groups, corporations, and clubs are among the organizations it serves. It is a particularly sound fit when an election needs voter authentication, ranked or preferential ballots, accessibility considerations, or a published verification trail. Groups running simple votes for more than 10 people should compare the custom-priced plans against lower-cost per-election services; organizations needing premium features should confirm their cost before committing.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Ballot choices range from multiple choice to preferential voting, with candidate details and voter comments, accommodating more structured elections than a basic poll.
• Pro: SSO options, repeat-vote blocking, receipts, and downloadable verification files support controlled, auditable election processes.
• Pro: Translation support for up to 18 languages and regular accessibility audits are meaningful advantages for diverse electorates.
• Con: The free plan stops at 10 electors, so it offers little room for a growing organization to run a real member-wide election at no cost.
• Con: Several notable capabilities, including telephone voting, weighted voting, online nominations, and voter segmentation, cost extra.
• Con: Self-administered and managed plans use custom pricing, so organizations cannot compare a fixed price without estimating electorate size or requesting a quote.

Alternatives

Online Voting Software is the broader category directory for comparing election tools.

• ElectionBuddy is another freemium option with a free plan and free trial; its free MeetingVote plan covers up to 20 voters and five motions per meeting.
• VoteHost Elections is a free, web-based self-hosted option for readers who prefer that deployment approach.
• AssociationVoting offers a free single-election tier for 1–25 eligible voters and a 99.00 USD per-election tier for 26–125, making its voter bands a clearer fit for small associations comparing fixed election prices.
• OpaVote has a free tier capped at three simultaneous elections, 25 voters and 10 candidates per election, with data retained up to 10 weeks; it suits readers whose elections fit those ceilings.
• Election Runner offers a free option for up to 20 voters and a 19.00 USD per-election tier for up to 100 voters, a choice for groups seeking stated small-election price points.
• ElectionChamp has a free-forever, per-election plan for up to 20 voters with all features, email and SMS notifications, and one voter reminder.
• CharterVote has a free Starter plan for up to 25 eligible voters per election, for readers whose electorate fits that cap.
• Belenios is a free web-based alternative.

Verdict

Choose Simply Voting when your organization needs a structured election workflow, authentication options, flexible ballots, and results that can be checked after publication. Its managed service and accessibility provisions are strong reasons to shortlist it, but the 10-elector free cap and paid advanced features make it a poor choice for cost-sensitive groups with larger or feature-heavy elections. Compare alternatives if a fixed small-election price or a genuinely free option for more voters is the priority.