SnapBallot

SnapBallot is an online election platform for organizations that need to run member votes with configurable ballot rules. It is best suited to groups whose voters can participate by email and whose elections fit a per-event budget. Its reporting and voting controls are useful for formal organizational decisions, but paper voting needs a separate process.

Overview

SnapBallot handles board elections, bylaw amendments, contract ratifications, referendums, special votes, and run-offs. Administrators can weight votes by ownership, membership class, proxy assignments, or other organizational rules, and set minimum and maximum voting requirements for each office or ballot item. Those controls make it more appropriate for organizations with formal eligibility or voting rules than for groups seeking only a simple poll.

Administrators can track who has voted without seeing individual selections. Voter logs and audit trails support oversight; the maker describes end-to-end encryption and single-use magic-link authentication, and says the platform runs on Microsoft Azure. Survey & Ballot Systems, SnapBallot’s provider, says it is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant.

Key features

Participation and reporting

Real-time reporting includes daily participation reports, voter logs, and email recaps. Each election includes one invitation email and two reminders, with additional reminders available for an extra charge. That covers a basic outreach cycle, but organizations that rely on repeated reminders should budget for the extras.

Paper voting and support

Voters who need paper ballots or lack email must be handled separately, with paper results combined with SnapBallot totals afterward. This makes the platform a weaker fit for groups that need one process for both online and paper voters. The team responds to inquiries within one business day and offers technical support inquiries and demo scheduling.

Pricing

SnapBallot charges per election. The Free plan costs nothing, billed Per election, and covers up to 15 voters, 3 voter emails, and no setup fees. It is a way to run a small vote without a fee, but its voter cap rules out many organization-wide elections.

The paid tiers each include 3 voter emails and no setup fees: 16–250 voters costs $49, paid once; 251–750 voters costs $99, paid once; 751–1,500 voters costs $149, paid once; 1,501–3,000 voters costs $269, paid once; and 3,001–7,500 voters costs $449, paid once. These one-time election charges scale with voter count, so groups can match the fee to each election rather than a recurring seat plan. The three-email allowance remains the same across these tiers, and additional reminders cost extra.

The Custom plan has custom pricing for more than 7,500 voters; paper ballots or fully managed services are available through that plan. Groups needing those options should compare the custom arrangement with the separate handling required by the standard online process.

Platforms

SnapBallot is available on Android, iOS, and the web. The maker says it works on phones, tablets, and desktops, allowing voters to participate across common device types.

Who it's for

SnapBallot is aimed at HOAs, unions, associations, food co-ops, clubs, sports organizations, churches, and other member-driven groups. It is a stronger fit when organizers need formal ballot controls and participation tracking, and can keep paper voting outside the online election. It is less suitable when a group needs paper and online voters in a single integrated process or exceeds 7,500 voters without moving to custom pricing.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Voting weights and minimum or maximum requirements accommodate organizational rules beyond a basic ballot.
• Pros: Administrators can monitor participation while individual selections remain hidden from them.
• Pros: Per-election tiers have no setup fees, with prices tied to voter-count bands.
• Cons: The free tier stops at 15 voters, limiting it to small elections.
• Cons: Every standard election includes only three voter emails, and extra reminders cost more.
• Cons: Paper ballots and voters without email require separate handling and later tally combination.

Alternatives

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

Consider AssociationVoting if its free election tier for 1–25 eligible voters is a closer fit; its next provided tier covers 26–125 voters for $99 per election.

ElectionBuddy is another freemium option with separate meeting-vote and election-vote plans.

Election Runner may suit a smaller election: it is free for up to 20 voters and charges $19 per election for up to 100 voters.

POLYAS offers a free Standard online-voting tier for up to 50 voters, though features and service are not included in that tier.

Simply Voting is another freemium option, with a free tier for elections of 10 electors or less.

VoteAlly may fit groups seeking a free ongoing option: its free plan allows 50 eligible voters per session, two active sessions, one admin seat, up to five motions, and eight elections.

CharterVote is a web-based alternative with a free Starter plan for up to 25 eligible voters per election.

Assembley is a web-only alternative with a free Starter plan for up to 25 voters and unlimited assemblies.

Verdict

SnapBallot is a sound choice for member organizations running formal elections that benefit from configurable voting rules, anonymous selections, and participation reporting. Its per-election pricing is straightforward across the published voter bands, but the small free cap, limited included emails, and separate paper-ballot process are meaningful constraints. Choose it when those tradeoffs fit the way your organization votes; look elsewhere if paper and online ballots must share one process.