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Voter Guide

This guide is for voters who have received a voting link and need to cast their ballot. Whether this is your first time voting online or you have done it before, this guide walks you through everything you need to know: what to expect, how to prepare, how the system protects your privacy, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Electobox is designed to make online voting straightforward and accessible. There is nothing to install and no account to create. Everything happens in your browser, using the link you received by email or SMS.

What to expect​

The voting process follows four simple stages:

  1. Open your link — Click the voting link in the email or SMS sent to you by Electobox
  2. Verify your identity — Complete a short authentication step if your election requires it
  3. Cast your vote — Make your selections and review them carefully before submitting
  4. Download your receipt — A digital fingerprint confirms your vote was securely recorded

The whole process typically takes just a few minutes, though you should take as long as you need when reviewing your selections. You cannot change your vote once it is submitted.

You will need a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge) and a stable internet connection. Chrome is the recommended browser if you have a choice.

Your vote is secret​

Your ballot is encrypted on your device before it ever leaves your browser. This means that at the moment you click to cast your vote, it is already encrypted and unreadable to anyone outside the system. The election organizers cannot see how you voted. Electobox itself cannot see how you voted.

The only way votes can ever be decrypted is after the election closes, and only when all of the election's trustees act together simultaneously to unlock the results. By that point, the ballots have been permanently anonymized, meaning the final tally reveals vote totals but not who cast which ballot. Your vote is secret both during the election and after it.

Your voting link was generated specifically for you and tied to your registration in the electoral register. It works exactly once. The moment you submit your ballot, the link is automatically and permanently deactivated. Even if someone found the link afterward, it would not work.

Because of this, it is important to keep the link confidential. Do not forward the email to anyone, do not share the URL, and do not open it on a shared or public device if you can avoid it. If you believe someone else has accessed your link before you could vote, contact your election administrator immediately.

Before you start​

A few things worth checking before you open your voting link:

Larger screens are easier. A laptop or desktop computer makes it simpler to read candidate names, understand the contest descriptions, and review your selections before confirming. A tablet works well too. Your phone is perfectly supported, but the ballot can feel cramped on a small screen, particularly if there are many candidates to review.

Use an up to date browser. Older browser versions are not supported and may cause display or functionality issues. If you are not sure whether your browser is current, a quick update before you start is worthwhile.

Avoid public computers if possible. Shared computers in libraries, hotels, or offices carry a small risk that your session could be observed or that the link might be saved in browser history. If a public computer is your only option, open your link in a private or incognito browsing window, which will not save your session details after you close it.

Check your connection is stable. A dropped connection mid vote is unlikely to cause problems, but a stable connection throughout makes the experience smoother. If you are on a weak Wi Fi signal, switching to mobile data is a reasonable option.

Voting emails are sent shortly after an election opens, so if you were expecting one and it has not arrived after an hour or two, something likely went wrong with delivery.

Start by checking your spam or junk folder. Automated emails from voting systems are sometimes filtered out by overly aggressive spam detection. If you use Gmail, also check the Promotions and Updates tabs, as Electobox messages sometimes land there rather than in your main inbox.

Try searching your inbox for mail from [email protected]. This should surface the message regardless of which folder it ended up in.

If you have checked all of these places and still cannot find the email, contact your election administrator. They can verify that the correct email address or phone number is registered for you in the system, and they can resend the link. Do not wait until close to the deadline to do this, as administrators may not always be immediately available.

Your vote is final

Once you click Cast Final Vote, your vote is locked and cannot be changed or retracted. There is no undo option. Take your time reviewing your selections on the summary screen before you confirm.

In this guide​