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Voting on Polls

Polls in Rostered let coaches and administrators gather input from families on important decisions like practice times, tournament participation, team events, and more. Your participation helps ensure decisions reflect the needs of your athlete and family.

Finding Polls​

Discovering New Polls​

Polls can appear in several places throughout the app:

  1. Huddles channels - Polls are often posted directly to team or division chat channels
  2. Family tab notifications - New polls appear as notification cards
  3. Team pages - Polls targeted to specific teams show up on team detail screens
  4. Push notifications - You may receive notifications when important polls open

Poll Status Indicators​

Polls show different visual indicators based on their current state:

  • Open - Green indicator, accepting votes
  • Your vote recorded - Blue checkmark, you've already participated
  • Closed - Gray indicator, no longer accepting votes
  • Draft - Yellow indicator, not yet open for voting (rare to see as a guardian)

Understanding Poll Types​

Single Select Polls​

  • Choose one option only from the available choices
  • Your selection replaces any previous choice
  • Commonly used for yes/no questions or choosing between specific options

Example scenarios:

  • "Can your athlete attend Saturday's tournament?"
  • "Which practice time works best for your family?"

Multi-Select Polls​

  • Choose multiple options that apply to your situation
  • You can select and deselect multiple choices
  • Often used when multiple answers are valid or helpful

Example scenarios:

  • "Which upcoming events can your athlete participate in? (select all that apply)"
  • "What volunteer roles are you willing to help with?"

Voting on Polls​

Casting Your Vote​

  1. Open the poll by tapping it from any location where it appears
  2. Read the question carefully and review all available options
  3. Select your choice(s):
    • For single-select: tap the radio button next to your preferred option
    • For multi-select: tap checkboxes next to all applicable options
  4. Review your selections before submitting
  5. Tap "Submit Vote" to record your response

Changing Your Vote​

Before submitting:

  • You can change your selections freely
  • Simply tap different options to update your choices

After submitting:

  • You can update your vote at any time while the poll is still open
  • Simply open the poll again and tap "Update Vote" to change your selections
  • Once a poll closes or its deadline passes, votes are locked

Voting Deadlines​

Many polls have deadlines after which no votes are accepted:

  • The deadline is clearly displayed on the poll
  • You'll see time remaining indicators (e.g., "3 days left")
  • After the deadline passes, the poll automatically closes
  • Plan to vote early to ensure your voice is heard

Understanding Poll Results​

The visibility of poll results depends on settings chosen by the poll creator. There are several different scenarios:

Immediate Results​

When results are visible immediately:

  • You can see vote counts and percentages right after voting
  • Results update in real-time as other families vote
  • Helps you understand how the community is responding

Results After You Vote​

Some polls hide results until after you vote:

  • Prevents your decision from being influenced by early results
  • Shows results immediately after you submit your vote
  • Encourages authentic responses

Results Upon Poll Closure​

For polls where results are revealed only when closed:

  • No results visible while voting is open
  • Full results appear when the poll creator closes it
  • Often used for more sensitive decisions

Never Visible Results​

Some polls keep results completely private:

  • Only poll creators can see the results
  • Used for internal decision-making where transparency isn't needed
  • You'll see confirmation that your vote was recorded but no results

Anonymous Polls: Complete Privacy​

What Anonymous Means​

When a poll is marked as anonymous, your individual vote is protected:

  • No one can see how you voted — not coaches, not administrators, not club owners
  • The club can see aggregated result counts (e.g., "15 votes for Option A"), but no details about how any individual user voted
  • You can change your answer at any time before the poll closes

Anonymous Poll Indicators​

Anonymous polls are clearly marked with:

  • 🔒 Privacy icons on the poll
  • "Anonymous Poll" labels
  • Privacy notices explaining that votes cannot be traced back to individuals

Commenting on Anonymous Polls​

When polls allow comments:

  • Regular polls - Comments show your name
  • Anonymous polls - Comments are also anonymized
  • Anonymous comments appear as "Anonymous Guardian" or similar
  • Even poll creators cannot identify who made anonymous comments

Benefits of Anonymous Voting​

Anonymous polls encourage honest feedback when:

  • Topics might be controversial or sensitive
  • Families might feel pressure to vote a certain way
  • Honest input is more important than knowing who said what
  • Building consensus without social pressure

Poll Comments and Discussion​

Adding Comments​

Many polls allow you to add written feedback:

  1. Look for the Comments section below the voting options
  2. Type your thoughts, suggestions, or explanations
  3. Comments help provide context for your vote
  4. Submit your vote and comment together

Reading Other Comments​

  • Comments from other families appear below the poll
  • Comments are typically visible to all poll participants
  • Use comments to understand different perspectives
  • Comments can help inform your own decision

Comment Guidelines​

When commenting on polls:

  • Be respectful - Remember this is a community discussion
  • Stay constructive - Focus on solutions and positive input
  • Be relevant - Keep comments related to the poll topic
  • Consider privacy - Don't share sensitive information about other families

Special Poll Features​

Targeting and Visibility​

You'll only see polls that are relevant to you:

  • Team-specific polls - Only visible to families on that team
  • Division polls - Visible to all teams within the division
  • Club-wide polls - Visible to all club members
  • Custom targeting - Some polls target specific groups (e.g., new families)

Poll Notifications​

You may receive notifications about polls via:

  • Push notifications - For important or time-sensitive polls
  • Email reminders - For polls with approaching deadlines
  • In-app badges - Showing unread polls requiring your attention

Recurring Polls​

Some polls may be used repeatedly:

  • Weekly availability surveys
  • Monthly feedback requests
  • Seasonal planning polls
  • Each instance is separate - voting on one doesn't affect others

Common Poll Topics​

Team Management​

  • Practice schedule preferences
  • Tournament participation
  • Team event planning
  • Equipment or uniform decisions

Club Operations​

  • Facility usage preferences
  • Volunteer opportunity signup
  • Policy feedback
  • Event planning input

Seasonal Planning​

  • Season schedule approval
  • Championship participation
  • End-of-season celebration planning
  • Off-season activity interest

Poll Best Practices​

Thoughtful Participation​

  • Read carefully - Make sure you understand what's being asked
  • Consider timing - Think about how decisions affect your family's schedule
  • Be realistic - Vote based on what you can actually commit to
  • Respond promptly - Help coaches and admins plan by voting early

Communication​

  • Use comments wisely - Provide helpful context or ask clarifying questions
  • Follow up if needed - Contact coaches directly for complex concerns
  • Respect others' votes - Remember that families have different circumstances

Troubleshooting Poll Issues​

Can't See Expected Polls​

If you think you should see a poll but don't:

  • Check that your athlete is properly rostered on the team
  • Verify you're looking in the right team or division section
  • Ask coaches if the poll has been published yet
  • Contact club administrators if polls are consistently missing

Voting Problems​

If you can't vote or submit your response:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Make sure the poll hasn't reached its deadline
  • Try closing and reopening the app
  • Clear the app cache if problems persist

Results Not Visible​

If you expected to see results but don't:

  • Check the poll's visibility settings
  • Results may be delayed until poll closure
  • Anonymous polls may not show individual response patterns
  • Contact the poll creator if you have questions about visibility

Notification Issues​

If you're not receiving poll notifications:

  • Check your device notification settings for Rostered
  • Review your in-app notification preferences
  • Ensure you haven't muted notifications for specific teams
  • Consider enabling email notifications as a backup

Remember, your participation in polls helps create a better experience for your athlete and the entire team community. Every vote contributes to decisions that shape your team's activities and policies!