BallotPoint Election Services

The BallotPoint Approach

As the only complete election solution designed specifically to ensure LMRDA compliance, BallotPoint Election Services provides the tools, methodology, and guidance with audit trail accountability to guarantee that union elections are conducted with the highest levels of secrecy, anonymity, confidentiality, accuracy, and transparency.

BallotPoint maintains strict separation of voter-identity and vote-content, and an “observer” role is built in so observers can verify secrecy, anonymity, and confidentiality at any point during the process. Ballot accountability is protected by using electronic ballots instead of hard-to-track paper ballots. These electronic ballots also help to ensure verifiable, accurate vote counting by eliminating the possibility of ballots being lost, stolen, damaged, or marked ambiguously. No BallotPoint election has ever been successfully challenged.

Guarantees compliance with Title IV of the LMRDA.

BallotPoint is the best method available for ensuring successful elections

BallotPoint works. While more than 1,000 mail-ballot elections have been investigated in the past eight years for possible LMRDA violations, more than 2,700 elections were conducted during that same period using BallotPoint, with 100 percent success.

BallotPoint is guaranteed. We are confident that the BallotPoint voting system fully complies with Title IV of the LMRDA.

For this reason, we guarantee our clients that if there is an election challenge to the BallotPoint system and if, after investigation, the Department of Labor concludes that the election must be rerun due to a finding that the BallotPoint system did not comply with Title IV, we will remedy the situation and rerun the election under the supervision of the Department of Labor at no additional cost to the union.

BallotPoint provides unions with a standardized process and methodology that is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the LMRDA.

BallotPoint provides the infrastructure required to support union elections that comply fully with the LMRDA.

BallotPoint provides the tools and systems to conduct the election.
Unions self-administer their elections using BallotPoint.
The union’s election officials retain responsibility for, and authority over, the conduct of the election in accordance with their union’s constitution and bylaws.
BallotPoint enables “hosted” elections, where a union is neither conducting the election in isolation nor relying on a third-party service provider. Instead, a union conducts its election in collaboration with BallotPoint Election Services using a time-tested and proven set of tools and capabilities.

BallotPoint’s integrated approach for conducting self-administered elections far exceeds any other election methodology in not just preserving, but also assuring the secret-ballot process.

BallotPoint’s election process protects the secrecy of ballots against both intentional misconduct and simple human error.
BallotPoint incorporates the safeguards and controls necessary to assure LMRDA compliance.
BallotPoint’s patented architecture and methodology physically and logically separate ballot information from the identity of the voter such that no one — not even BallotPoint’s own engineers — could ever connect the identity of the voter with the contents of his or her vote.

Designed to ensure ballot secrecy, confidentiality, and election integrity.

BallotPoint is designed to allow all eligible members to vote in secret.

BallotPoint gives members the flexibility to vote in private, by telephone or Web, at a time and place of their choosing.
Member identity and eligibility are validated before members are allowed to vote.

BallotPoint’s election process never allows a vote to be connected to the member who cast it.

BallotPoint’s patented architecture and methodology physically and logically separate ballot information from the identity of the voter such that no one — not even BallotPoint’s own engineers — can connect the identity of a voter with the contents of his or her vote.

BallotPoint extends observation of the election process all the way to the individual member.

Each voter is given a vote confirmation number (VCN) once they cast their ballot. With their VCN, their voter identification number (VIN) and personal identification number (PIN), they can review their recorded vote without compromising ballot secrecy.
BallotPoint is the only election methodology that provides comprehensive observation in a secret ballot election process.

Provides complete ballot accountability and vote count accuracy.

BallotPoint eliminates excess ballots, which ensures complete accountability.

Member eligibility to vote is verified before a ballot is issued.
BallotPoint produces a ballot only when a verified, eligible voter is ready to cast his or her ballot.
There are no excess ballots to be accounted for, no ballot envelopes to be stuffed, no ballots to be mailed, no undeliverable ballots to be picked up and re-mailed, and no completed ballots to be picked up and transported.
BallotPoint eliminates the problems associated with manual counts that result in voided ballots and inaccurate counts.
BallotPoint eliminates the possibility of ballots being lost, stolen, or damaged by eliminating physical ballots.
With BallotPoint, voter intent is always clear, unmistakable and without the possibility of ambiguous or extraneous marks on a ballot that might otherwise cause a ballot to be voided.
Automated vote tallies eliminate the possibility of counting errors.
Vote records and vote tallies may be independently checked and verified.
BallotPoint is the only election methodology that allows individual voters to verify the contents of their vote, as recorded, while maintaining ballot secrecy.

BallotPoint’s election process is transparent and open to observation.

BallotPoint enables authorized election observers to monitor the election process without interfering in the election process.

The permanent audit trails of election administrators’ activities can be shared with observers. Every significant activity of an administrator is reflected in the audit trail.

roster uploads
logins
eligibility changes
recredentialing
view member activity
ballot voiding
BallotPoint support requests

In addition, a "who-voted" report is produced after ballot closing and before tallying. This report can be shared with observers when determining whether certain cast-ballots should be voided (per constitution and bylaws).

Observers present at tally-time will see the results of the election at the same time as election administrators. Once an election is tallied and the results presented to administrators, it is not possible to re-open the election.

BallotPoint expands observation to allow members to review their voting account history.

Members may at any time review the history of their voting account.
If members so choose, they can receive notification whenever there is activity in their voting account.

BallotPoint is a resource to labor, offering in-depth election expertise.

BallotPoint is a labor-friendly company.

"BallotPoint has my unqualified confidence and endorsement as a labor-friendly organization that is dedicated to supporting labor."
Pat Friend, International President, Association of Flight Attendants - CWA
"If you are looking for a company that you can count on to help you meet your responsibilities as a labor leader, I highly recommend BallotPoint.
Mike Cerbo, Executive Director, Colorado AFL-CIO
"I have known the people at BallotPoint for about 3 years now. They are some of the good guys, a union-company looking out for the interests of unions by making sure that elections fully comply with the LMRDA and will withstand the scrutiny of the DOL."
Paul Bohelski, Senior International Representative, OPEIU
More Testimonials...

BallotPoint’s team has a wealth of experience in facilitating LMRDA compliant elections gleaned from years of experience and more than 2,700 elections.

BallotPoint has been providing LMRDA-compliant elections election services since the year 2000.

The BallotPoint Advisory Services team is led by John Heaney, who spent 25 years with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.