2009 Honorable Mention: Online Voting

Program Goal

The Junior League of Raleigh is committed to staying on the leading edge of technology in delivering services to its members. The intent is to make information more accessible and timely and create supportive resources for members’ development. The League has transformed many previously manual processes to Web-based applications, a critical initiative being Online Voting, which was introduced in 2007.

Program Description

The League’s online presence has grown steadily in recent years with online placement procedures, event registration and newsletter. For the voting initiative, the League consulted Trebax, the web design firm that created earlier online templates.

In the first year of online elections, candidate information was mailed, as required by the bylaws, and a postcard was sent closer to the election date. By the second year, the bylaws were amended to allow for electronic mailing of voting information such as nominees’ biographies and photographs.

Members were asked to log on to the voting site using their AJLI number and password. The required quorum of one-fifth of Actives was reached within a few days. Once they were logged on, members were again able to review the candidates’ information prior to casting their votes. Voting was enabled on the website for a one week, with a reminder sent out by broadcast email. Once a vote was registered for a member, she could not vote again. The process was readily embraced by members: Although provision was made for members who did not have the ability to complete an online ballot, only two such requests were made.

Results/Outcomes

Online Voting enhanced the accuracy and reliability of the election process and reduced the time spent disseminating and counting ballots. Specifically, the new process:

• Improved voter education as members voted immediately after re-reading candidates’ information
• Reduced peer pressure by enabling members to voting privately
• Enforced a single vote per member
• Enabled members to vote without having to attend an "election meeting"
• Improved the accuracy of the count, which was now done by computer
• Savings of over $700 in the Nominating Team’s budget because of lower printing and postage costs
• Decreased environmental impact as less paper is used

Candidates are now notified of their result by the Nominating Captain prior to the General Membership Meeting (GMM), at which the rest of the membership is informed, reducing possible embarrassment at not being elected. The new process also makes voting results known almost a month earlier, and gives the President-Elect more time to ask members (including those who may not have been elected) to fulfill other, non-balloted leadership positions. This enables the leadership team for the following year to begin assembling and organizing earlier.

Evaluation

Online Voting was evaluated by tracking member’s usage of the Online Voting site, their feedback regarding the various elements involved, and the effects of the system on League operations and member behavior.

Impact

Online Voting has improved the election process for candidates, members (both voting and nonvoting) and administrators. Its impact has extended beyond the voting system:

• Members are more willing to appear on the ballot as they do not have to be present a meeting at which they were voted on by their peers.
• The quality of the GMM at which voting used to take place has improved. By eliminating the time taken to distribute, explain, collect and count ballots, the meeting has refocused on community service and member training, and the Nominating Team also can participate fully instead of counting ballots.
• Overall, members have become more technologically savvy. Therefore, based on the success of this initiative as well as other online tools, the League is committed to “virtualizing” more of the administratively burdensome tasks, such as award nominations, dues payments, event coordination and, possibly, membership proposal and sponsorship.