Electronic Voting Software is the company’s social and economic council (CSE) and is an essential joint representative body. It is, in fact, the basis of social dialogue between employees and employers. During the creation and renewal of the CSE, but also during its current operation, many elections are organized.
For this, electronic voting software is an interesting tool. Online voting is authorized by law for professional elections as long as the software used guarantees the confidentiality of the vote.
Here is our selection of the 9 best electronic voting software for your CSE, whether for the election of members or for internal consultations.
How To Choose Your Electronic Voting Software?
Electronic Voting: A Reminder
The concept of electronic voting includes voting for an election, but also polls and quizzes. There are many IT solutions for electronic voting. Free online tools are often limited to fun features and data security is less of an issue.
On the other hand, for professional elections, it is necessary to equip yourself with a tool that can guarantee the confidentiality of the vote. Since 2017, electronic voting has been authorized, in particular for the appointment of members of the social and economic committee (CSE).
☝️Electronic voting can be done:
- face-to-face, through a “voting machine”,
- or online via a secure website (this is the most common case). The health crisis has also favored the development of this practice, which has enabled many statutory meetings to be held during periods of confinement.
The Advantages Of Electronic Voting
Electronic voting has many advantages:
- Voters can cast their vote 24 hours a day from any device and without having to travel;
- the administrators can follow the participation in real-time, but also obtain the results instantly as soon as the poll closes;
- automation and encryption technologies eliminate the risk of ballot counting errors or fraud;
- the time saving is real compared to an election “at the ballot box”, with a financial gain estimated at 60% by some publishers.
The Essential Characteristics Of The Electronic Voting Software
Most voting platforms meet the security requirements set out by data protection regulations. Whatever your choice, the chosen software must be:
- secure to prevent fraud or leaks before, during and after voting operations;
- accessible so that all voters can exercise their rights under the same conditions;
- in accordance with the established rules of the ballot.
Finally, the software will have to allow the traceability of the electronic vote. Depending on your needs, the content of the legal support and technical assistance provided by a Legal Software Development Company will also be a determining factor in your choice. In some cases, the accompaniment and ongoing support from the legal software development company are included, while with other publishers, these services are offered only as an optional add-on.
Good to know: GDPR and CNIL, what does the law say?
The basis of your choice regarding electronic voting software is to comply with European and French data protection regulations. The National Commission for Data Protection (CNIL) has supplemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with recommendations and security objectives. It prescribes, for example, the authentication of the voter, the security of the platform, the integrity and confidentiality of the ballot throughout the ballot or the total sealing between the identity of the voter and the expression of his vote.
People Vox
With nearly 1,000 customers to its credit (including Véolia or Airbus) and 10 years of experience in dematerialized voting, PeopleVox is the reference solution for organizing your CSE electronic votes in a secure, compliant and intuitive way. Approved by the CNIL and the Ministry of Labor, the solution, a real all-in-one platform, supports you in the organization, planning, and monitoring of your professional elections thanks to a team of specialized lawyers.
Endowed with many features, PeopleVox allows you to create a complete and tailor-made organizational plan with the various deadlines to be respected (company agreement, employee information, an invitation to trade unions, electoral list model, pre-election memorandum of understanding …).
Benefits and Features
- Receipt of voter identifiers in a personalized manner by e-mail or mail with the possibility of voting on-site or remotely from a computer, tablet or smartphone;
- strong (WebAuthn standard for biometric authentication) and multi-factor (A2F) voter authentication;
- complete monitoring of the progress of operations as well as automated and secure counting, with no risk of counting or calculation error;
- numerous GDPR and Anti-fraud certifications in addition it is secured via a Blockchain guaranteeing the Ballot Box & the votes presents numerous GDPR and Anti-fraud certifications,
Disadvantages and Limitations
There is no trial version, but it is possible to request a demonstration with an expert.
Elexion
Specialized in professional elections since 1998, Elexion is primarily focused on the preparation of elections, particularly with regard to supplies (envelopes, ballots, electoral material, ballot boxes, etc.).
The solution offers online electronic voting solutions via authentication of the voter by an identifier and a code received by e-mail or SMS. The software also uses encryption keys and double authentication to ensure voting confidentiality.
Benefits and Features
- A company specializing in professional elections that knows its sector well;
- Legal partners who support the client in setting up online voting;
- Absolute confidentiality since the information concerning the voters is only used on the day of the vote;
- The ability to connect from any terminal (computer, smartphone, tablet).
Disadvantages and limitations
The website is not very user-friendly and there is no trial version. In addition, the rates can quickly rise, because they are calculated according to the number of voters, but also the number of colleges and the options (vote by correspondence or paper, number of decryption keys, etc.).
gedivote
Gedivote offers an interface that can be personalized in the colors of the company, with a dedicated web address. The user can thus vote in complete security and receives a confirmation of his vote by e-mail.
To set up Gedivote, you are supported by the team who will determine with you the solution best suited to your needs. The company provides training for staff involved in elections.
Benefits and Features
- Tools adaptable to all types of votes, including in sensitive contexts;
- 360° support thanks to business expertise and great technological know-how;
- the possibility of consulting the professions of faith of the candidates directly on the platform;
- numerous election monitoring and management tools (participation, signatures, statistics, etc.).
Disadvantages and limitations
Some customers have noticed the arrival of voting material in their junk mail and some security breaches have been observed in recent years (eg the University of Toulouse).
The website shows few images of the interface and there is no trial version available.
Neovote
Neovote offers a voting solution approved by the Council of State, the Senate, the Ministry of the Interior, and the General Directorate of IT Systems. Considered the leader in the vote of confidence, Neovote is aimed at both small and large structures.
It has 4,000 servers in production to deploy various resources: an expert voting server, electronic safe, and software components.
Benefits and Features
- Use of a geometric model without a database, ensuring the separation between signatures and ballots;
- design of random ballot boxes without the use of mixers to avoid the risk of manipulation;
- reliable double recording of the vote with certified consistency on 3 voting servers;
- support for each project with a dedicated lawyer, telephone support is accessible 24 hours a day with an average answer time of fewer than 10 seconds.
Disadvantages and limitations
The solution is perhaps more suitable for large companies and public institutions with important ballots since the technologies implemented are ultra-secure. It is not possible to get an idea of the prices without asking for a quote and no image of the interface is available on the site.
Paragon Elections
Paragon Elections supports organizations in the modernization of the electoral process, from paper voting to electronic voting. It is accessible online on all devices without prior installation of software.
Data confidentiality ensures pseudonymization, impact analysis, and information security management. Staff is trained in data confidentiality.
Paragon advances a cost 60% lower than that of voting at the ballot box, with the inherent advantages linked to electronic voting: the possibility of voting 24 hours a day, reliability of the electoral process, monitoring of participation in real-time, etc.
Benefits and Features
- Ergonomic and secure voting platform allowing mixed voting (by mail, online or face-to-face);
- real-time attendance tracking, with instant results after the close;
- automatic editing of official documents (minutes, acknowledgments of receipt, etc.);
- multi-channel solution allowing voters to choose between postal voting and internet voting.
Disadvantages and limitations
Paragon is an international company. It is present in 17 countries and employs 7,500 people. Again, this is an important structure, probably more suited to large-scale professional elections. There is no possibility to test the software.
SLIB
Slib offers innovative register-keeping and electronic voting software. The solution uses a technology of total anonymization of the vote which allows use for professional elections.
The publisher offers several voting solutions, including MyVoteAccess for AGMs and Election Central for Internet voting. The company relies on secure computer servers. The solution for CSEs is Live Vote by SLIB, which manages both member elections and on-the-fly votes during meetings.
Benefits and Features
- Coupling with a videoconferencing tool to dematerialize meetings while guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote;
- a secure solution with access via an access code sent to participants by email or SMS;
- management of the vote in session and real-time monitoring of participation;
- accessibility via a web browser, without complicated settings.
Disadvantages and limitations
Slib is suitable for SMEs with its cloud-based interface. There is no trial offer and prices are quoted. The editor’s expertise is more focused on record keeping, risk and post-trade.
Voxally
Voxaly is an expert in social dialogue and implements online voting tools that adapt to all types of elections, in the private and public sectors. The software allows postal, face-to-face, electronic or mixed voting.
The interface is customizable in white label, as well as the connection address to the voting site. Users receive their codes by SMS, e-mail or post and can vote on a computer, tablet or smartphone 24 hours a day.
Benefits and Features
- Solutions appraised by 5 independent experts;
- voting possible from any medium (computer, smartphone, tablet);
- authentication by access code to the voting site;
- legal or organizational support depending on the options subscribed.
Disadvantages and limitations
There is no trial version, but it is possible to request a demonstration. Some clients regret that they could not be accompanied properly due to busy schedules.
Voxvote
Voxvote has specialized in audience measurement since 2013. It also offers a simple electronic voting application that is very accessible and useful for anonymous voting. The solution is based on a mobile cloud allowing the creation of personalized questionnaires and surveys.
The platform offers a free trial version with an unlimited number of users and offers several ways to visualize the results (word cloud, graphs, tables…). The app can be used for in-session voting and each user can log in anonymously.
Benefits and Features
- Easy to configure and use (access from a browser without installation);
- creating multiple-choice quizzes;
- consultation of the results in real time;
- cloud-based and mobile app.
Disadvantages and limitations
The general ergonomics of the platform is not the most aesthetic, but it remains simple and intuitive. Customers regret the limits of the free trial version (only 10 questions) and the operation by purchasing credits, which turns out to be expensive to use. The platform is only available in English.
Finally, VoxVote seems more suited to online or in-session polls and quizzes than to a real professional election process. For example, there is no legal support and the possibility of organizing an election is not mentioned on the publisher’s website.
Wechooz
Weechooz focuses its solution on the CSE elections and thus offers a fully adapted turnkey tool. The tool benefits from extensive expertise in employment law and electronic voting. As such, it also offers complete legal support for organizing professional elections, from informing employees to the announcement of the results, including the organization of the ballot.
Weechooz also allows you to edit the pre-electoral agreement protocol (PAP) and the schedule of deadlines for the CSE elections according to the dates set by the company.
Benefits and Features
- Secure voting solution accessible from a computer, smartphone or tablet, with 4 different levels of encryption;
- complete and tailor-made legal support with a competent service provider in the field of professional elections;
- attractive rates;
- electronic transmission of documents to the administration after the vote.
Disadvantages and limitations
Wechooz collects good opinions and works as much with large groups like Accor as with SMEs. The platform does not offer a trial version, but it is possible to benefit from a demonstration of the features.
We Summarize!
Some electronic voting software offers free trial versions that allow you to test the application to see if it meets your needs. These versions are nevertheless quite limited and, for everyday use, it is better to opt for a paid full license.
Professional elections, especially for the CSE, are an important moment in the life of a company. It is important to equip yourself with electronic voting software that makes things easier, both for the organizers and for the users.
