Online voting for professional associations can support many different voting needs throughout the year, from leadership elections and bylaw changes to chapter decisions and other member votes. In 2020, as the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) prepared for a virtual annual conference during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization began using Simply Voting to conduct online voting for its members.
NOBLE is a national membership organization with more than 4,800 members and 58 chapters across six regions, focused on public safety and equity in the administration of justice. Since then, NOBLE has conducted 48 elections through the online voting platform, with electorates ranging from small groups to approximately 3,300 members. Its use spans national, regional, and chapter voting, including officer and board elections, representative elections, runoffs, bylaw and constitutional votes, and chapter recognition programs.
Requirements & Challenges
NOBLE needed an online voting system flexible enough to accommodate recurring elections and member decisions with varying electorates, ballot configurations, and governance requirements.
NOBLE also needed flexibility in how its elections were administered. Early on, it opted for Simply Voting’s Fully Managed professional services before later transitioning to self-service administration.
Key requirements included:
- An online voting system NOBLE could use on a self-service basis for recurring national, regional, and chapter elections.
- Flexible ballots for candidate elections with write-in functionality, as well as other configurable ballot formats for bylaw and constitutional proposals and member decisions.
- Support for both small voting groups and organization-wide elections involving thousands of members.
- Familiar voter authentication and a branded online voting experience for members.
Simply Voting’s Online Voting System
- Self-Service Election Management: After having a couple of its early elections fully managed through Simply Voting’s Professional Services, NOBLE transitioned to using the online voting system on a self-service basis, with elections administered through its national office. For recurring votes, NOBLE clones and adapts previous elections, reducing the setup required for each new vote.
- Different Types of Elections and Member Votes: NOBLE uses Simply Voting for national officer and board elections, regional and chapter elections, member-representative elections, runoffs, bylaw and constitutional votes, and chapter recognition programs. Officer elections can include nominated candidates alongside write-in options. For bylaw and constitutional votes, supporting documents are linked from individual proposals so members can review the proposed changes before voting to approve, disapprove, or abstain.
- Familiar Member Experience: NOBLE uses existing Membership IDs for voter authentication. Its voting website within the Simply Voting online voting system incorporates NOBLE branding, providing members with a recognizable voting environment. Eligible voters receive email invitations and reminders with instructions on how to access online voting.
The Results
What began with online voting during NOBLE’s virtual conference in 2020 has become a recurring part of its governance and member voting. NOBLE has now conducted 48 elections through Simply Voting.
Participation has also increased in NOBLE’s comparable recurring National Officer, Board and Bylaws election. Turnout grew from 34.4% in 2020 to 43.6% in 2026, an increase of 9.2 percentage points.
Looking for an online voting system for your professional association? Simply Voting helps professional associations manage recurring elections and member decisions of many kinds, from officer and board elections to bylaw votes, chapter elections, runoffs, and other governance needs. Whether your organization wants to administer elections using the online voting system on a self-service basis or receive assistance through Simply Voting’s professional services, contact us today to discuss your upcoming election.
