Election Runner
Audience response software
Voting management software
Event management software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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Pay-as-you-go
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What is Election Runner
Election Runner is a web-based voting and election management platform used to run online elections and polls for organizations such as associations, clubs, schools, and unions. It supports creating ballots, distributing voter access, collecting votes, and reporting results, with options for anonymous or identified voting depending on the election setup. The product focuses more on formal election workflows than on live presentation interactivity typically associated with audience response tools.
Purpose-built election workflows
Election Runner centers on end-to-end election setup rather than general-purpose Q&A or slide-based polling. Typical workflows include ballot creation, voter list management, secure voting links or credentials, and results reporting. This focus can reduce configuration effort for organizations running recurring board or member elections compared with tools designed primarily for live audience engagement.
Remote voting support
The platform is designed for online participation, which fits distributed memberships and asynchronous voting windows. This can support elections that run over days rather than only during a live meeting. It also reduces reliance on in-person event infrastructure when the primary requirement is ballot collection and tabulation.
Configurable ballot and access
Election Runner commonly supports multiple ballot types and settings such as anonymous vs. identified voting and eligibility controls based on voter lists. These controls align with governance-oriented elections where voter access and audit expectations matter. The configuration is more aligned with election administration than with interactive event engagement features.
Limited event engagement features
Compared with audience response platforms, Election Runner is not primarily designed for live presentations, real-time word clouds, quizzes, or moderated Q&A. Organizations running interactive sessions may need separate tools for audience engagement during events. This can increase tool sprawl when both formal elections and live interactivity are required.
Not a full event platform
Election Runner does not typically provide end-to-end event management capabilities such as agenda builders, attendee networking, exhibitor management, or event mobile apps. Teams looking for a single system to manage registration through post-event engagement may find gaps. It is better positioned as a voting component within a broader event stack.
Verification details vary by setup
Election integrity features (e.g., identity verification, audit trails, and compliance requirements) depend on configuration and the organization’s voter data quality. For high-stakes elections with strict regulatory or certification needs, buyers may need to validate whether the available controls meet their governance standards. This can require additional process controls outside the software.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Pay-per-election (pay-as-you-go)
Free tier/trial: Elections with up to 20 eligible voters are free (no credit card required until you launch a paid election). No evidence of a time-limited free trial was found.
Example costs (publicly listed on official site):
- Up to 20 voters — $0 per election.
- Up to 100 voters — $19 per election.
- Up to 300 voters — $36 per election.
- Over 300 voters — use on-site cost calculator to determine per-election price (site provides a calculator for >300 voters).
Education / Institutional options (official page):
- Pay-per-election educational pricing: as low as $0.09 per voter (K-12 / Higher Ed — contact for details).
- University subscription: $1,499 per year — unlimited elections, up to 15,000 students.
Add-ons (official support doc):
- Extra Reminder Emails: $10 per reminder email per 2,000 eligible voters (pricing scales with voter count and number of reminders purchased).
Bulk / large-election adjustments (official support doc):
- Elections with over 1,000 eligible voters can be upgraded in blocks of 200 voters for $18 each (example: to increase 1,100 → 1,300 voters costs $18).
Discounts & payment options (official):
- Discounts and annual subscriptions available for K-12 and Higher Education institutions; purchase orders accepted for annual subscriptions (contact support).
Notes:
- You only pay when you launch an election; there are no contracts.
- Account creation and building elections is free; payment is required only to launch elections exceeding the free voter limit.
