October 2026 - Simply Voting Inc.

Offering online voting in multiple languages can be a straightforward part of an organization’s election process. Simply Voting supports voter interface translations in 17 languages, while administrators provide translations for the content that is specific to their own elections.

The main goal is consistency. Voters should be able to navigate the online voting process in an available language and, when translated election content is provided, receive the same essential information regardless of the language they choose.

Decide Which Languages Your Organization Wants to Offer

An organization’s approach to multilingual elections may come from bylaws, policies, legislation, established procedures, or simply the languages it normally uses to communicate with members or voters.

This is generally an organization-wide decision about how elections are conducted. In Simply Voting’s online voting system, administrators enable the languages they want available for their account and choose an account-wide default language. Once enabled, those languages remain available for future elections unless the organization updates its language settings.

The default language is the language voters see first when they access the online voting website and appears at the top of the language picker. Voters can switch to another enabled language if they prefer.

If an organization already maintains language preference information in its membership or voter database, it can also use that information for targeted communications. For example, voters identified with a particular language preference can receive an email directing them initially to the corresponding language version of the online voting website, while still retaining the option to switch to another available language.

Let the Online Voting System Handle the Interface

Once a language is enabled, Simply Voting handles the standard voter interface automatically. Navigation, buttons, field labels, standard instructions, confirmation messages, and error messages are translated and maintained by Simply Voting.

The online voting system also handles language-specific display requirements, including right-to-left presentation where appropriate. Administrators do not need to manage those interface details themselves.

This allows administrators to focus on the content that is specific to their organization and each election.

Add Translations as You Set Up Each Election

As administrators set up an online election, they can add translations for the content specific to that election.

This can include election titles and descriptions, question titles and descriptions, option or candidate titles, custom instructions, candidate biographies or statements, and other supporting text.

The language versions are attached to the same underlying election, question, or option record.

For example, a question can have an English title and description, a French title and description, and additional translated versions while remaining a single question in the online voting system. Its voting rules, ordering, abstention settings, and other configuration remain consistent across languages.

If your organization has staff who are comfortable translating election content, use them. If not, consider professional translation for content where precise wording is particularly important. Translation tools can be useful for simpler content, but should be used with care for election-specific wording, candidate information, and anything where a mistranslation could change the meaning. For fully managed elections, Simply Voting can also arrange professional human translation of customer-supplied content for an additional fee.

Decide How Far Multilingual Content Should Extend

The ballot itself may be only one part of the information voters receive as part of the online voting process.

Organizations may also provide custom email messages, candidate information, explanations of bylaws or proposals, agreement summaries, or other supporting material. Some of this information may appear directly in the online voting system, while other material may be hosted on the organization’s own website or provided through links to PDFs, videos, or other external resources.

Not every piece of supporting material needs to be available in every enabled language. An organization may provide its main election content in several languages while making some supporting material available in only one or two.

An organization also does not have to translate every piece of election-specific content simply because a language is enabled. It may choose to make the online voting interface available in additional languages while leaving some or all of its own ballot content in a single language. In that case, voters would still see Simply Voting’s professionally maintained translations for navigation, standard instructions, buttons, error messages, and other system text, alongside election-specific content that remains in the organization’s primary language. This can provide a partial multilingual experience when full translation is not practical.

Email communications can follow the same approach. Simply Voting’s standard system-generated email content is automatically available in the languages enabled for the account, while administrators can provide translated versions of any custom wording they add.

Proof Each Language Before Finalizing the Election

As part of the normal proofing process, administrators should review each enabled language before they approve the election and finalize it for online voting.

That includes checking election and question titles, option or candidate information, descriptions, custom instructions, email content, and links to external documents or webpages.

This is also a good time to catch any missing translations, awkward formatting, or broken links.

If candidate information, special voting instructions, or explanatory material is being provided in several languages, administrators should make sure voters are receiving the same essential information in each version.

Because Simply Voting maintains the multilingual voter interface, administrators can focus their proofing on the organization’s own content and how it appears within the completed election.

A Simple Approach to Multilingual Online Voting

Multilingual online voting can remain a straightforward part of the election process. Simply Voting handles the standard interface and underlying election structure, while administrators focus on the election-specific content and translations they provide.

Planning an online election for voters in more than one language? Contact us to learn how Simply Voting can help you offer online voting in multiple languages.

In 2020, the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) began using Simply Voting after another UAW local recommended the online voting system. The immediate need was an alternative to a scheduled voting event during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, UAW’s use of online voting has expanded within a centralized account used by multiple UAW groups. Other UAW locals continue to use Simply Voting through their own separate accounts, while this particular account has grown to support a wider range of groups and voting needs.

Since 2020, UAW groups using the centralized account have conducted more than 60 online elections, including bargaining team and committee elections, contract ratifications, executive board and steward elections, vacancy elections, and other member votes. The experience shows how online voting for unions can grow from addressing one immediate need into supporting a broader, ongoing voting program.

Expanding Across Different UAW Groups

UAW represents workers in auto, aircraft and agricultural implement manufacturing and other industries across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The centralized account began with UAW Local 4811, which represents roughly 60,000 researchers, educators, and professional staff across the University of California system. Over time, additional UAW groups began using the account, bringing new administrative teams, voter populations, and voting needs onto the same online voting system.

Separate administrator groups allow different teams to work independently within that broader environment. Rather than requiring every administrator to have access to every election, different UAW groups can manage the elections they are responsible for while remaining on the same online voting system.

The elections themselves also vary considerably in size. Some involve only a few dozen eligible voters, while the largest approach 38,000. Online voting for unions can therefore support both narrowly focused votes and much larger elections involving broad sections of the membership.

That structure has allowed the account to grow across different groups and electorate sizes while preserving separate administrative responsibility.

Supporting Different Types of Union Votes

UAW groups use Simply Voting for both governance elections and collective-bargaining-related votes.

Bargaining team and bargaining committee elections are a recurring use case, including vacancy and runoff elections. The online voting system is also used for contract and agreement ratifications, executive board elections, steward elections, and other member decisions.

The content presented to voters varies with the type of vote. For tentative agreement ratifications, UAW groups can include links to the agreement and supporting summaries hosted on their own websites so voters can review the material before submitting their vote. For candidate elections, candidate biographies and statements can be presented with the ballot so voters can review relevant information before making their selections.

The voting method can vary as well. Some UAW elections use plurality voting, while others have used preferential voting that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

Simply Voting’s self-service online voting system gives UAW groups the flexibility to manage these different voting formats, supporting information, voter populations, and election structures within the same administrative environment.

That matters for organizations that conduct online voting throughout the year. One vote may involve a broad portion of the membership, while another may apply only to a particular workplace, region, department, bargaining unit, or other group.

Managing Different Voter Groups Within the Same Election

Some union elections also involve different voting rights within the same electorate.

UAW uses voter segmentation to make particular positions or questions available only to the voters who are eligible for them. Voting rights can be assigned based on a region, department, campus, bargaining unit, or another defined voter group, while broader questions remain available to everyone who is eligible to participate.

This allows different voter groups to receive the contests or questions that apply to them within the same election.

For example, members may all participate in an organization-wide vote while only some voters receive an additional contest tied to their region or group.

That flexibility is one of the ways online voting for unions can accommodate more complex membership structures without requiring every voter to receive identical ballot content.

One Online Voting System That Grew With UAW’s Needs

UAW’s experience with Simply Voting began with a specific need in 2020 and expanded over time across additional groups, voting types, and voter populations within the centralized account.

Today, that account supports independently managed administrative teams, different voting rights within elections, recurring online voting throughout the year, different voting methods, and a wide range of electorate sizes.

Online voting for unions can evolve as an organization’s needs change. UAW’s experience shows how a common online voting system can support that growth while still giving different groups the ability to manage their own elections.

Looking for online voting for your union? Contact us to learn how Simply Voting can support voting across different voter groups, administrative teams, and election types.

Month: October 2026

How to Offer Online Voting in Multiple Languages