DUBLIN, Ohio –The CUBallot system, which allows members to vote online, by telephone, or by paper, has been expanded to include voting from within Facebook, according to E Space Communications Inc.
“CUBallot was always intended as a system to make it as convenient as possible for members to participate in board and other elections,” company spokesperson Keith Hardin said. “It’s especially important to reach the younger demographic since they are often the ones who do not understand they own the credit union. Over the years we’ve added Internet voting, then voting sites for tablets and smartphones, and now it seems logical to add voting via Facebook. We want to reach the members wherever they are.”
According to the company, Facebook voting works through the Messenger App, “chatting” with the member via an interface similar to texting, but using a secure, encrypted connection. Members can see pictures of the candidates and read brief bios before answering whether or not they want to vote for that candidate. The system automatically detects and prevents duplicate voting by a member regardless of whether the vote is cast via Facebook, Internet, telephone, or paper ballot.
E Space Communications Inc. created CUBallot at the request of a credit union client and the system is now used by 150 CUs spread across 40 states