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Polltab Voting Security Features

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How Polltab Handles Votes

When you create a poll on Polltab, a unique voting box is allocated for your specific poll to handle all incoming votes. For IP-specific security and higher, the voting box uses a unique ticketing system. Each voter has a unique ID (such as an IP address), and when they attempt to cast a vote, they send Polltab their unique ID. This ID is recorded only if it doesn't already exist in the box. The total vote count is computed from the number of unique IDs.

For example, if your poll uses IP-specific voting security, each participant's unique ID is their IP address—a unique address assigned by their internet service provider. This ensures each vote is unique to the user's IP address.

Voting Security Options

  • Cookie-Based
    • This option allows one vote per browser. If a user uses three different browsers, they can cast three votes.
  • IP-Specific
    • This option restricts voting to one vote per IP address. If voters share the same network (e.g., schools or offices), multiple users may be blocked from voting. Consider using cookie-based or authentication-based voting for polls shared within the same network.
  • Social Authentication (Google, Facebook, Reddit, Twitch)
    • Polltab offers an additional layer of security using social authentication (OAuth) from popular services like Google and Facebook.
      For example, with Google authentication, voters log in to their Google account and grant basic access to Polltab. Polltab uses only the voter's unique Google ID (a numeric identifier like 344221) to register the vote. Each user has a unique ID, ensuring authentic votes. No other information is stored.

FAQ on Voting Security

Is IP-specific security sufficient?

For most polls, IP-specific security works well. However, tech-savvy participants could potentially cast multiple votes by manipulating their IP address. In rare cases, someone could create a bot to vote automatically. To help prevent bots, enable the CAPTCHA option as described in how to create a poll.

Can users still cast multiple votes with Google or Facebook authentication?

Authentication-based polls also rely on unique IDs. Participants with multiple Google or Facebook accounts could cast more than one vote.

If you have more questions about voting security, please contact us.