ElectionChamp
How to close an election early
Closing early ends voting for everyone at once. It cannot be undone, so check your rules first.
To close an election early, open the election, click More at the top of the page, then Close voting early, and confirm. It is there only while voting is open. Voting stops and results are calculated. The action is irreversible and is recorded in the audit log. You often will not need it, because an election closes on its own when every voter has voted. A closed election cannot be reopened, so confirm your bylaws allow an early close first.
Check your rules before you close early
Your election notice told members when voting ends. Closing before that time takes the remaining hours away from anyone who has not voted. Your bylaws may fix the voting period, so confirm with your bylaws and counsel before you end voting early.
An early close is easiest to defend when your rules allow it and every eligible member has had a fair chance to vote. It is riskiest in a contested race, where the losing side can argue that members were cut off.
Look at pending votes before you decide. If only a few members are still pending, one more reminder often serves you better than an early close; see reminders and resending. And if the goal is to end voting once everyone has voted, the automatic close already does that.
Steps to close voting early
- Open the election's dashboard.
- Check turnout and the time left.
- Click More at the top of the page, then Close voting early, and confirm. The Close early link in the dashboard's timeline does the same.
- Open the Results tab. Results are ready at once.
- To send voters the results, click Send results to members on the Results tab. You can send it once, and the results link works from then on. If no voter has an email address or mobile number, the button reads Activate results link: it sends nothing and just makes the link work.
The early close is written to the audit log with a timestamp. See export the audit log.
Elections close on their own when everyone has voted
An election closes automatically once every voter has voted, so you do not need to close it yourself. Otherwise it closes at the time you set under Voting closes on the Start step.
Example: a 30-member board votes on a motion with a 7-day window. All 30 members vote by day 2, so the election closes itself that day and results are ready at once.
Compare a 150-member association with 118 votes in by day 5 of 7. Closing early would end voting for the 32 members who have not voted, so the committee leaves it open.
Both elections cost $10, the flat price for 21 to 200 voters. See pricing.
Closed elections cannot be reopened
A closed election cannot be reopened, whether it closed on schedule, automatically or early. If voting has to happen again, open My elections, find the election under Past elections and click Make a copy. Tick Also copy the voter list to give every voter a new key. The copy keeps the old voting dates, so pick new ones on the Start step. The same applies to a ballot error. For a missing voter, a spare key may be enough while voting is open.
Results follow your results visibility setting, and the timestamped log is part of the audit trail.
Close an Election Early Questions
No. Closing early is irreversible. To vote again, make a copy of the election in My elections and launch the copy.
No. Closed elections cannot be reopened, however they closed. Use Make a copy in My elections to start a new election from it.
Yes, in two cases: at the end date and time you set, or as soon as every voter has voted.
Yes. The early close is written to the timestamped audit log, which you can export as a CSV.
Talk to us before you close
Email support@electionchamp.com if you are unsure whether to close early. Email support is free for administrators and voters.
Questions? Email support@electionchamp.com