Polls

A poll is a question with a fixed set of answers. Polls can be personal or belong to a Space, and Polls lists both, filtered by All, Scheduled, Open or Closed.

Create a poll#

1. New poll, and choose where to post it under Post to. A Space poll needs the manage capability for polls there.
2. Write the question.
3. Add between 2 and 20 options. Reorder them with the reorder handle next to each option.
4. Under Choices (Choice in the app), pick single or multiple choice.
5. Decide on Anonymous votes (Anonymous in the app) and on when results are visible.
6. Optionally schedule when it opens and when it closes.

The mobile app also lets you give each option a colour (Option colors) from a fixed set, and the option is shown in that colour.

Anonymous voting#

Anonymous votes separates the tally from who cast it. The poll shows how many voted and what they chose, and does not record which option is yours.

It is a decision taken when the poll is created and it cannot be changed afterwards, because turning it off later would expose ballots that were cast on the promise of anonymity.

An anonymous poll is marked as such wherever it appears.

Results#

Show results before it closes (Show results early in the app) decides whether people can see the tally while voting is open. With it off, results appear when the poll closes — which is how you stop early votes from steering later ones.

You can change your vote while a poll is open — except an anonymous one, where your ballot is separated from you the moment it is cast and cannot be found again to change. A poll you have answered is marked, and where changing is possible the button becomes Change vote.

If the latest detailed tally cannot be loaded, the poll shows the last results it has and says so rather than showing nothing.

Opening and closing#

A poll can be scheduled to open later and to close at a set time. Until it opens, nobody can vote; once it closes, the result is final.

Close ends voting now. It is confirmed first, and the confirmation says what matters: voting cannot be reopened.

Pinned polls#

Pin in a poll's menu puts it at the top: a Space poll on the Space's page, which is where a poll that needs an answer from everybody belongs, and a personal poll on your profile. Unpin leaves the poll where it is.

Deleting#

Deleting a poll is permanent, takes its votes with it, and is confirmed first. Closing a poll is the gentler option: the question and its result stay readable.

Reading a poll you were sent#

Polls are visible to signed-in people only. Following a link to one while signed out asks you to sign in. After that, who can see it depends on where it lives: a poll in a private Space is out of reach for anyone who is not a member; a poll in a public Space can be read by any signed-in person, although only members can vote; and a personal poll from a private account is visible to its followers. A poll from someone who has blocked you, or whom you have blocked, is not available, and a poll that has not opened yet is visible only to people who manage it.