If you want to use the Forms feature in ChMeetings to organize voting processes, you can do so by following this guide.

You may start by configuring your form fields as explained in our guide to Working With Forms. Most of the voting-related configuration must be done under Form Settings. Here are the options to set up:

1. Restrict Access to Members Only

Ensure that only registered and authenticated members can access and submit the voting form by selecting Limit Form to Only Members in the form settings area.

2. Make Submissions Anonymous (Optional)

If voting should be confidential, then turn on Make Form Submissions Anonymous, in your form settings. This way, your list of submissions will not display names or be linked to member profiles. 

3. Limit Submissions to One per Member

Prevent multiple submissions from the same member to maintain vote integrity by turning on Limit total responses per member to “1”.

4. Set a Total Response Limit (Optional)

If you need to cap the total number of responses, or as an additional vote security measure, you can set a maximum number of submissions. Once this limit is reached, the form will no longer accept new submissions.

Within the form settings, Limit total responses to however many you need to (e.g. limit to your total number of eligible members).

5. Set an Expiry Date for the Form

Define a deadline for form submissions to ensure timely responses by setting an Expiry Date to automatically close the form after.

6. Restrict Eligibility (e.g. Based on Groups or Age)

Ensure that only eligible members (e.g., based on specific groups or age criteria) can access the form. In the Form Settings, enable Restrict form to only members with the below criteria. Select the criteria you require, for instance: 

• Select a Group of which respondents should or should not be part of.
• Select the Birthdate or Age by which to restrict responses - for instance to only allow people 18+ to vote.

7. Disable View and Edit Submissions 

You can prevent members and servants from viewing submissions. In the form settings, turn on Disable View Submissions. 

To prevent servants and members from altering their responses after submission to maintain data integrity. In the form settings, enable Disable Edit Submission. This option gets automatically enabled if you disable viewing submissions.

Important: 

• Once these options are enabled, they cannot be reversed for the current form. 
• Even if your forms have submission views and editing disabled, church staff can still see the results under the Statistics section of the form.

8. Set Up On-Premise Voting (Optional)

If the voting process should exclusively take place on your church premises, then you can enable a Wi-Fi network for the voting form. Just enter its SSID to do so If this is enabled, then members will only be able to vote if they are connected to your specified Wi-Fi Network. 

9. Add a Digital Signature Field (Optional)

For formal validation, include a digital signature field in the form.

While designing the form, drag and drop the Signature field from the General Fields section. Mark the signature field as Mandatory to ensure it's completed.

Note: The digital signature feature is available only to paid accounts. 

10. Export Statistics

After the voting period ends, review and export the results for analysis, you can use the Statistics option within your form to see and download voting results.

Example Configuration

Below is an example voting form settings configuration, using all the features suggested in this guide. For more detailed instructions and support, visit our guide to Working With Forms.;