This article is for board members who are required to vote in meetings. If you want to know how secretaries run a voting session, go to the Manage meeting votes article.
Voting
What's a vote?
In board meetings, voting can help board members decide how to make decisions. Voting starts when a board member submits a motion or proposal. Other board or committee members can then submit their votes.
To keep it simple, the voting options are For, Against, or Abstain. You can't change these options.
Who can vote?
✅ Members of the group that are invited to the meeting can vote.
❌ Meeting guests and the secretary can’t vote.
In this article, you'll learn how to:
Submit a motion
Before anyone can cast a vote, a motion must be submitted.
If you're a board member or guest, inform the secretary of your proposal and they can add it to the agenda as a motion.
In the meeting, you can discuss the motion and decide whether a vote is required (there is the option to vote All for, which allows you to bypass the voting process).
If a vote is required, you'll be asked to cast your vote during the meeting.
Prepare to vote
If you've submitted a motion and the secretary has added it to the agenda, it's time to prepare for the meeting.
If you haven't submitted a motion, you can review the agenda and any motions that have been added so you know what you will be asked to vote on.
Cast a vote
During the meeting, the secretary can do one of the following for each motion on the agenda:
Start a voting session, where you will be asked to vote on the motion. You'll receive a notification when the vote starts.
Select the All for button to submit a unanimous vote in favor of the motion. (This avoids the need for a formal vote.)
When a vote is in progress and you're required to vote, select an option: For, Against, or Abstain.
Your vote is confirmed. Select Change vote to change it.
When the vote is complete, the results of the vote are shown with the motion on the agenda. Vote results are visible to all participants of the meeting.
Change a vote
Did you make a mistake or change your mind? You can amend your vote, or a vote submitted on your behalf, while the vote is in progress.
You can only change your vote if the secretary has started a voting session and you've selected one of the three available options. If the secretary has voted All for, you can't change the vote but you can ask the secretary to reset the vote.
To change your vote, in the vote confirmation pop-up, select Change vote.
Select For, Against, or Abstain. The vote is registered and reflected in the voting results once the vote ends.
When a vote ends
Voting ends five seconds after the last meeting participant has voted, or 10 minutes after the vote started. The meeting secretary can end the vote manually if required. Vote results will be included in the minutes once the meeting ends.
Ask someone to vote on your behalf
You might ask the secretary to cast a vote for you if you're unable to attend the meeting or if you're experiencing technical issues that prevent you from joining.
If you have access to iDeals Board, you'll receive a notification that a vote has been cast on your behalf. You can change this by selecting Change vote.
If you don't have access to iDeals Board and a vote has been cast on your behalf, you can ask the secretary to reset the vote.