Trade Union Elections
Run branch and committee elections, consultative ballots, pay consultations and member surveys online, by secret ballot, with instant results and a full audit trail for your union.
- Branch, regional and committee elections by secret ballot
- Consultative and indicative ballots with instant results
- Pay consultations and member surveys on any device
- Postal and hybrid voting for members who do not use email
- Single transferable vote, approval and instant runoff built in
What union votes can we run online?
Any vote that your own rule book governs, rather than the 1992 Act, can be run online with Choice Voting today. That means branch, regional and committee elections where your rules allow, consultative and indicative ballots, pay and conditions consultations, member surveys and conference delegate selections. Statutory ballots, such as industrial action, have their own rules and their own appointed scrutineer.
Online voting for trade unions
The everyday votes that keep a union running, done properly.
Between the statutory ballots, which have their own rules and their own scrutineer, sit dozens of votes a union runs every year, and those are the ones that eat time and money when they are done on paper. A branch election, a consultative ballot on a pay offer or a member survey should not take weeks to organise and count. Choice Voting runs those votes online. Set up an election or a ballot in minutes, import your membership, restrict the vote to the right branch, region or grade, and open it so members take part on any device. Every vote is a true secret ballot, members who do not use email can be brought in by post, and the result is there the moment voting closes, with a full audit trail. For the wider picture on union voting, including the legal boundary in detail, see our trade union voting page.
Ballot your members, and hear their voice
Formal votes that produce a mandate, and consultations that tell the leadership what members really think.
Ballot
Run votes that stand up
For general secretaries, election committees and branch officers who need a ballot that is secret, properly counted and defensible.
- Branch, regional and committee elections
- Consultative and indicative ballots
- Single transferable vote, approval or instant runoff
- Full audit trail on every result
Consult
Give members a voice you can act on
For bargaining and policy teams who need to know what members want before going into negotiations.
- Pay and conditions consultations
- Member satisfaction and workplace surveys
- Conference delegate selections and policy motions
- Real time participation and exportable results
Every union decision, in one place
From a consultative ballot on a pay offer to a branch committee election.
Branch and Regional Elections
Elect branch secretaries, chairs and committee members by secret ballot, with candidate statements.
Consultative Ballots
Gauge member support before statutory action, with a clear result the moment voting closes.
Committee Elections
Run national executive and standing committee elections online where your rules allow.
Pay Consultations
Consult members on a pay offer or a change to terms, and take a structured view of what they will accept.
Member Surveys
Run satisfaction and workplace surveys to understand what matters to your members.
Conference Delegate Selection
Select conference delegates and run policy motions, giving every eligible member the chance to take part.
Set up a union ballot in minutes
The same four steps whether it is a consultative ballot or a branch election.
Choose your type
Ballot, election, consultation or survey. Set the question, add candidates or options and pick your method.
Add your members
Import your membership and set who is eligible, by branch, region, grade or the whole membership.
Open the vote
Branded with your union logo. Members take part on any device, with postal options where needed.
Announce the result
Results the moment voting closes, turnout confirmed and a full audit log you can share.
Everything the union needs
True secret ballot
No administrator, officer or Choice Voting staff member can see how an individual voted.
STV, approval and instant runoff
The voting methods union elections actually use, built in and counted correctly.
Postal and hybrid voting
Members who do not use email are brought into the same vote and the same count. Enabled on request.
Eligibility by branch or region
Restrict a vote to the right group, so a branch election goes to the branch and a national consultation goes to everyone.
Nominations and statements
Collect nominations, statements and declarations online, then move straight into the ballot.
Real time participation
Watch turnout climb while voting is open and know whether a reminder is worth sending.
Instant results and PDF reports
Results as soon as voting closes, with a downloadable PDF and a round by round breakdown.
Full audit trail
Every ballot, vote and result logged and timestamped, exportable as evidence if a result is questioned.
UK hosted and secure
Encrypted, UK hosted, ICO registered, Cyber Essentials certified and GDPR compliant.
The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 requires industrial action ballots, statutory officer elections, political fund, merger and recognition ballots to be conducted by post and overseen by a qualified independent scrutineer. Choice Voting does not run those ballots or act as a scrutineer. This page is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how the law applies to your union before relying on it.
Trusted where the result has to be right
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Frequently asked questions
Where do statutory ballots, like industrial action, fit in?
Statutory ballots (industrial action, executive elections, the political fund, mergers) have their own rules under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. They are run by an independent scrutineer appointed under that Act, and since 25 August 2026 those scrutineers can run them electronically as well as by post. Choice Voting is built for everything else your union votes on, such as consultative ballots, branch elections, pay consultations and member surveys. Your scrutineer or legal team will advise on the statutory ballot itself.
Is the ballot genuinely secret?
Yes. The platform enforces a true secret ballot. The system records that a member has voted, to prevent duplicate votes, but keeps that separate from the ballot itself, so no administrator, officer or Choice Voting staff member can see how anyone voted.
Can we reach members who do not use email?
Yes. Postal and hybrid voting can be enabled on request, so members who prefer or need a paper ballot are brought into the same vote and the same count. It is disabled by default and set up with our team.
How quickly do we get results?
Online votes are counted the moment voting closes, with a full breakdown, turnout figures and a downloadable audit trail. For hybrid votes that include postal ballots, the result is ready once the last paper ballot is recorded.
Give your members a vote they trust
Branch elections, consultative ballots, pay consultations and member surveys on one secure platform, with every result you can stand behind.