Question 1

How do we reduce the cost of our annual board election?

Accepted Answer

Use a published denominator instead of a vendor estimate. At the current $0.82 USPS First-Class one-ounce letter rate, an outbound and prepaid-return mailing to 1,200 members costs $1,968.00 in postage alone. A 1,200-voter vote.direct election is $149.99 today and remains at least 92% below that postage benchmark at regular list price. Printing, staff, tellers, required notices, mail alternatives, and legal review are separate. USPS source: https://pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index

Question 2

Is online voting allowed for credit union board elections?

Accepted Answer

For a federal credit union using the applicable election option in its adopted bylaws, yes. Appendix A to 12 CFR Part 701, Article V, Option A4 says the election is conducted by electronic device or mail ballot, subject to detailed conditions. Those include election tellers, notice timing, an alternative mail ballot for members without the necessary device, voter-name and account-number verification, system-integrity testing, and ballot deadlines. Check the credit union's adopted bylaws; state-chartered credit unions must also check state law. Official bylaws: https://ncua.gov/files/bylaws/federal-credit-union-bylaws-2020.pdf

Question 3

How do we verify only members vote in our election?

Accepted Answer

Upload the eligible-member roster and assign each entry an invitation or credential. vote.direct can require email or SMS verification; assisted government-ID checks can be arranged in advance. It accepts one ballot for each eligible roster credential. The credit union and its election tellers remain responsible for roster accuracy and for any additional member-name, account-number, or good-standing checks required by their bylaws.

Question 4

What NCUA regulations apply to credit union elections?

Accepted Answer

The relevant federal model provisions are in Appendix A to 12 CFR Part 701, especially Article V, not 12 CFR 701.18. Article V covers nominations, notices, election tellers, electronic or mail procedures under Option A4, voter verification, tabulation, and one vote per member. NCUA also says ballot secrecy can be preserved through controls that prevent interested parties from seeing how identified members voted. vote.direct provides roster controls, two secrecy modes (Anonymous, which withholds the voter-to-ballot link from organizers and exports, and Sealed ballot, which stores no link to the voter at all), timestamps, and exportable records that can support that process; software alone does not make an election compliant. Sources: https://ncua.gov/files/bylaws/federal-credit-union-bylaws-2020.pdf and https://ncua.gov/regulation-supervision/legal-opinions/2004/secrecy-member-ballot-federal-credit-union-elections

Question 5

How do we increase voter participation in board elections?

Accepted Answer

Reduce access friction, make the voting window and instructions unmistakable, offer an accessible alternative channel, and send reminders only to members who have not participated. Published results are not uniform: a CUES case study says Veridian Credit Union participation rose about sixfold after electronic voting, while broader academic studies find much smaller gains in some elections. Treat your own prior turnout as the baseline; vote.direct does not promise a particular increase. CUES case: https://www.cumanagement.com/articles/2017/11/get-out-evote

Question 6

Can we replace our current election vendor without disruption?

Accepted Answer

The self-serve product has no installation or long-term contract. Import a test roster, recreate the ballot and rules, run a nonbinding test with staff or tellers, compare the exports with your record-retention needs, and document a fallback before changing the official process.

Question 7

How do we handle nominations and candidate bios?

Accepted Answer

Add candidate names and biographical information to the ballot after your nominating committee and petition process is complete. vote.direct can present the final candidate slate, but it does not replace the nomination deadlines, petition thresholds, ordering rules, or notices in your adopted bylaws. The federal model procedures are in Article V: https://ncua.gov/files/bylaws/federal-credit-union-bylaws-2020.pdf

Question 8

What is the cheapest way to run a compliant credit union election?

Accepted Answer

Separate software cost from the cost of the full legal process. A 1,200-voter vote.direct election is $149.99 with email and SMS verification included, versus $1,968.00 for two retail First-Class letters per member before printing or labor. Elections above 2,000 voters require a quote; assisted government-ID verification is priced at $3.00 per checked voter and must be arranged in advance. Your bylaws may still require mailed materials, tellers, testing, notices, or legal review.

Member governance,
modernized.

Challenges credit unions face with elections

In-person-only access leaves members out

Paper creates a manual evidence burden

Member verification is challenging at scale

Common credit union votes

Built for credit union governance

Member Roster Enforcement

Identity Verification

Secret Ballot

Quorum Tracking

Equal Member Voting

Article V Support Records

How it works

Create Election

Upload Members

Collect Votes

Close & Export

Built to support your election procedure

For your board

For an Article V review

Related guides

How to Run an Online Election: The Complete Guide

Online Voting Security: How to Prevent Election Fraud

How to Reach Quorum: 7 Proven Strategies for HOAs and Nonprofits

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