Real-time Voting Results

What Is Real-Time Voting?

Polltab offers real-time results on all polls. This means every vote automatically updates the page with the latest tallies. All viewers see up-to-date results without refreshing. Most traditional online polls don't offer this feature—voters would need to manually refresh the page repeatedly to see updated votes. This creates inconsistent results where different users see different tallies based on when they last refreshed.

How Do Real-Time Results Work?

Polltab uses WebSockets, a web protocol that supports real-time data transfer. WebSockets create a communication channel between your browser and the Polltab server. A handshake establishes a persistent connection—similar to an agreement between two parties to exchange data reliably. Once connected, data flows between the server and your browser instantly. This is the same technology that powers real-time chat applications.

Benefits of Real-Time Results

Real-time results increase engagement because users can trust that the data updates the moment a vote is cast. Think about chat applications—imagine if messages weren't delivered in real time and you had to refresh the page to see new messages. We take instant messaging for granted, but most polling applications don't offer this same experience.

When Are Real-Time Results Useful?

Real-time results shine in many scenarios. For example, imagine presenting to a large audience and wanting to engage them with a live poll. Display the results page on a slide, share the voting link, and ask the audience to vote. As votes come in, the results update instantly on screen—creating a much more engaging presentation.

Hiding Real-Time Results

Sometimes you may not want to show results because it could bias voters who haven't voted yet. Polltab offers a checkbox when creating a poll to hide results until the poll ends. With this option, results aren't shown until the deadline, preventing any influence on undecided voters. Learn more in our tutorial on how to create a poll.

Questions?

If you have questions about real-time results, contact us.