Good Governance: The Benefits of Online Voting for Credit Unions

Most credit unions now offer convenient and secure mobile online banking for their members, as well as many other time-saving technologies—so it comes as no surprise that members appreciate the ability to vote in credit union elections as quickly and easily as they manage their finances. With transport layer security encryption and state-of-the-art technology, there is no safer, simpler or more reliable way to enable voting on your members’ smartphones and devices.

Why Should Credit Unions Use Online Voting?

Over 93% of adults in the U.S. use the Internet, with over 15% of Americans using their smartphones exclusively to access it. In fact, U.S. mobile penetration continues to rise yearly, with 50% of all website traffic originating from mobile devices. To accommodate user preferences and encourage your credit union members to engage, you should consider innovative and easy-to-use online voting systems.

At Survey & Ballot Systems, we work with various credit unions and other member-based organizations. Each year, we see an increase in these groups adding online voting as an option. In recent years, we’ve seen a significant uptake of members leveraging their mobile devices while voting. Online and mobile-friendly voting options will only become more popular each year, so it’s essential to ensure each member gets an optimal voting experience tailored to the device they’re using.

When credit unions don’t offer online voting, members are less likely to engage because voting is inconvenient. Without mobile-friendly voting options, members are forced to scroll and zoom, and many website features simply don’t work on mobile devices. You can help eliminate these pain points by reducing the voting limitations and making your voting site responsive to the devices members use.

The Benefits of Leveraging Technology for Credit Union Voting

Credit unions offering online voting options and mobile-friendly elections are reaping the rewards. The benefits of online voting include:

• Cost-efficiency. Online voting can significantly impact your bottom line. Save money that would normally be used on designing, printing and mailing paper ballots and associated labor costs.
• Increased participation. A simple way to vote from anywhere increases voter participation and overall member engagement. It’s convenient when members can vote from any place, anytime and on any device.
• Improved member experiences. A convenient election with many voting options increases member satisfaction with the election and the credit union.
• Security features. You can have peace of mind knowing voting is secure. Encrypted and duplicate votes are impossible, so only members can vote—and they can only do so once.
• Streamlined processes. Online voting eliminates manual processes and human calculation errors, making it easy for your team to handle the election process. It’s also frictionless for your credit union members to vote.
• Tracking capabilities. Our digital voting platform gives you a real-time overview of participation and provides trends and insights you can leverage to enhance future elections and member communication.

Tony Hoff is marketing director of Survey & Ballot Systems, CUES’ partner in CUES eVote. Since joining SBS in 2011, Tony has led company communications, branding and product launches, maintaining SBS as the go-to for governance solutions. He regularly hosts educational webinars and speaks at national trade association events across the United States. Hoff’s expertise has earned him media recognition, with features in outlets like Rural Electric Magazine, The Association Adviser podcast, Associations Now, and NBC’s King 5 Mornings in Seattle.