Remote Electronic Voting Is Possible, Not Automatically Compliant
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards has published specific guidance for remote electronic voting systems. The guidance does not approve a vendor or create a safe harbor. It says unions may use remote electronic systems only when the election still satisfies the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act and the union remains responsible for compliance.
The distinction matters: buying election software is one part of an election plan, not the plan itself.
Safeguards the DOL Tells Unions to Evaluate
The DOL guidance directs officials to examine whether a remote system:
- preserves a secret ballot so no person can identify how a member voted;
- provides every eligible member a reasonable opportunity to vote;
- lets candidates observe appropriate parts of the process;
- prevents ineligible and duplicate voting;
- protects credentials and election data;
- produces records sufficient to investigate and recount;
- addresses members who lack devices, Internet access, digital skills, or needed accommodations; and
- is tested before use.
An audit trail is not a substitute for candidate observers. A union must design meaningful observation around the remote process without exposing ballot choices.
Notice, Frequency, and Record Retention Still Apply
For covered local labor organizations, the LMRDA generally requires officer elections at least every three years. Section 401(e) requires election notice to be mailed to each member’s last known home address at least 15 days before the election. Section 401(c) requires election records to be preserved for one year.
An email invitation from vote.direct should not be treated as the statutory mailed notice unless counsel confirms that the particular rule permits it. Likewise, the platform export belongs with the union’s nominations, eligibility determinations, observer records, notices, returned mail, challenges, and other election materials.
Identity and Eligibility Are Different Questions
Email or SMS verification demonstrates control of a credential. An assisted government-ID check can add evidence about the person presenting the document. Neither one determines whether the person is a member in good standing, eligible under the constitution and bylaws, or entitled to a particular ballot.
The election committee must reconcile the member list, eligibility dates, dues status rules, challenged-ballot procedure, and duplicate or shared contact details before launch.
vote.direct’s Ballot-Secrecy Options
In Anonymous mode, vote.direct withholds voter-to-ballot links from organizers, results, and exports, and the link remains in restricted application storage for vote changes, proxies, and recounts. In Sealed ballot mode, the ballot is stored with no link to the voter at all: the roster records only that a member voted, the audit trail names who voted but never which ballot, and the box is shuffled at close. Evaluate both designs against the DOL guidance and the union’s own requirements, and pick the mode before publishing the election.
Current 500-Member Pricing
| Configuration | Price |
|---|---|
| Election with email or SMS verification | $69.99 |
| Assisted ID checks for all 500 members | 500 × $3.00 |
| Election plus all 500 assisted checks | $1,569.99 |
Those are product charges. Mailed statutory notice, alternate access, observers, election officials, counsel, and other union costs are separate. No fixed cost-reduction percentage or turnout result is promised.
Remote-Election Planning Checklist
- 1Confirm LMRDA coverage, the union constitution and bylaws, and any public-sector or parent-body rules.
- 2Establish nominations, eligibility, campaign, observer, challenge, and tie procedures.
- 3Reconcile the member roster and last-known home addresses.
- 4Mail the required notice on time.
- 5Document how members without practical online access can vote.
- 6Test secrecy, credentials, accessibility, support, tabulation, and a recount scenario.
- 7Give candidates the observation rights the law requires.
- 8Preserve the complete election record for the required period.
vote.direct can provide browser ballots, roster restrictions, verification controls, tabulation, and platform exports. The union and its election officials remain responsible for the election.
Comparing vendors rather than rules? Union election software with credential verification puts six platforms side by side on what each one checks before it opens a ballot.
This article is general information, not legal advice. We recommend you do your own research and confirm anything you plan to act on. Where this article states law, the section is cited so you can read the primary source yourself rather than take our word for it — that is what the citations are for. Election requirements also turn on your own governing documents, which we have not seen, and statutes are amended. For advice about your community, consult a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
We work hard to verify every citation against the primary source, but laws change and errors happen. If you spot an inaccuracy, email [email protected] and we will correct it. See our editorial standards for how these pages are researched and checked.
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Related Resources
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