Frequently asked questions

Demokratian is a platform for online voting and democratic participation designed for organisations of any size: associations, residents associations, cooperatives, trade unions, political parties and companies.

With Demokratian you can organise secure votes, take collective decisions and manage participatory processes completely digitally, with no need for in person meetings.

Demokratian is intended for any organisation that needs to take decisions collectively and transparently:

• Associations and NGOs — general meetings and elections to the management board
• Residents associations — votes on building works, budgets and rules
• Cooperatives — approval of accounts, admission of members, strategic decisions
• Trade unions and collectives — consultations with members, collective bargaining
• Companies — internal surveys, team decisions, shareholder voting
• Political parties and social movements — primaries, internal referendums

The fundamental difference is the legitimacy and security of the vote:

• Voter census — only authorised people vote; not just anyone with the link can do so

• One vote per person — the system guarantees that each member can vote only once

• Traceability — a complete audit log: who voted and when (without revealing the content of the vote if the vote is anonymous)

• Results with guarantees — an automatic downloadable official record, sealed and verifiable, setting out the decision taken

• Legal configuration — quorums, required majorities, voting deadlines and GDPR compliance

In short: Google Forms is an opinion survey; Demokratian is a vote with real validity.

The process is straightforward and takes four steps:

1. Create the vote — define the title, the question or the candidacies, the type of vote and the period

2. Invite the voters — import the census from Excel or add the members manually; and if you want, the system can send them the invitation by email

3. The members vote — from any device, whenever they prefer within the deadline

4. Get the results — at closing, the results are immediate and you can download the official record

No. Demokratian runs entirely in the browser, both for administrators and for voters. It does not require installing any application or plugin.

Voters can vote from a mobile, tablet or computer with any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).

Yes. The platform offers two modes:

• Standard anonymous vote: the system records that the member has taken part, to prevent duplicates, but keeps no link between the voter's identity and the content of their vote: the ballot is stored under a random identifier. Neither your organisation's administrator nor any third party can find out what each person voted.

• Dynamic vote (debate type): lets voters change their vote while the debate is open. During that time the system keeps an encrypted technical link to the user's profile; after closing and a 30-day safety period (for possible challenges), the records are anonymised automatically and that link disappears irreversibly.

What we do not promise: secrecy is guaranteed against the organisation calling the vote and against third parties, not against anyone who had control of the server at the very moment the vote was cast. Demokratian, as the platform operator, undertakes not to access that information and states so in its terms; it is a service commitment, not a technical impossibility. Closing that last scenario would require encrypting the ballot in the voter's browser with a key shared among the returning officers, and that is not implemented.

The mode is chosen when each vote is created.

Named (non-secret) voting: on some plans, the administrator can set a specific vote so that each ballot is linked to the name of the person who cast it. It is only for cases where the law or the statutes require knowing how each member voted, such as a board of directors, a shareholders’ or members’ meeting, a foundation board or a community of owners. Voters are clearly told before they vote, and the list of how each person voted is only visible to the people on the roll and the administrators, never on the public page. It should not be used to elect people to posts or in votes where secrecy protects the voter.

Demokratian is designed with security as a priority:

• TLS/HTTPS encryption on all communications.

• Integrity tree: each ballot produces a cryptographic fingerprint (SHA-256) and the fingerprints are combined into a single seal for the vote. Altering, adding or removing a single ballot changes that seal and the tampering becomes visible. Anyone can recompute it from the public list of votes.

• Third-party timestamp: when the count closes, the seal is sent to an independent timestamping authority, which certifies that this result existed on that date. The date is not set by the platform.

• Separation of identity and vote: in anonymous votes the ballot is stored under a random identifier, unrelated to the voter's account.

• Audit log of relevant actions, with timestamps, and a portal for returning officers.

• Access control: only the electoral roll votes; voting links are personal and single-use.

What these measures guarantee, and what they do not, is explained in "What can these tools NOT prove?".

The data of your organisation and of the votes is stored on servers located in Spain, while the email sending services and ancillary infrastructure are hosted in Ireland (AWS). All the infrastructure is within the European Union and complies strictly with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

When you register and create your voting website in Demokratian, you expressly accept our legal terms, which include the Data Processing Agreement (DPA) governed by article 28 of the GDPR. In this way your organisation acts as Data Controller and Demokratian as Data Processor, with no need for additional paperwork or manual signatures.

You can request the export of your data at any time. If you request deletion, or when the service ends, the data will be removed from the active system and kept duly blocked and encrypted for the legally established period, solely in order to deal with possible legal liabilities or challenges, after which it will be permanently erased.

Yes. When you confirm your vote, a verification code is shown: it is the identifier of your ballot. Keep it. Once the list of votes is published, when the count closes, you can paste it into that list's search box and see your ballot exactly as it was recorded, together with its integrity status.

The code is a random value unrelated to your account: having it is what lets you find your vote, and nobody else having it is what keeps it secret. Do not share it.

Without depending on anyone, and without needing an account:

• Check the record you hold. The results PDF carries a QR code and a web address. Opening it lets you upload that same PDF: the system works out its digital fingerprint and tells you whether it matches exactly the document sealed when the count was closed. Had anyone changed a comma, it would not match.

• Compare the seal. The seal of the count appears on the public page of the vote. It is the same one recorded in the PDF and the one a transparency committee can hold.

• Review the list of votes. It is published when the count is closed, with every ballot and its integrity status.

When the count is closed, the seal of the vote is sent to an independent timestamping authority, which returns a time mark signed by it.

That certifies that the result already existed at that date and time, and was not constructed afterwards. The date is not set by the platform: it is set by a third party.

It appears on the public page of the vote and on the verification portal, next to the seal.

Yes, and that is the point: you should not have to take our word for it.

The list of votes publishes, for every ballot, its identifier, its content and its individual fingerprint. With that data you can redo the whole calculation up to the seal and compare it with the published one.

The exact steps are in the list of votes itself, under How to recalculate the root yourself: the formula for each fingerprint, the order in which they are combined and how they are paired until a single value remains. All you need is a tool that computes SHA-256.

Worth saying plainly, because a guarantee that is not met is worse than offering none. What is verified is that the ballots have not been touched since they were cast, and that the published result follows from them. What is not verified:

• Who was entitled to vote. The electoral roll is decided by the organisation; the chain says nothing about it.

• A vote that never made it into the system. What is recorded is compared against what is sealed; something never saved leaves no visible gap.

• Whose ballot is whose. That is deliberate: the identifiers are random and unrelated to the person voting.

• What happens on the server at the moment of voting. Whoever controls the server while the vote is open could link voter and ballot before it is recorded. That is why secrecy towards the platform operator is a commitment stated in its terms, not a cryptographic guarantee; towards the organisation and third parties it is one.

Only that someone with that account has identified themselves on Demokratian, and when. The provider does not know which organisation you are entering and sees nothing of the votes: not the roll, not the ballots, not the results. That processing only happens if you choose to press the button; with a username and password no third party is involved.

In return, Demokratian receives your email address and an account identifier from the provider, and uses them solely to check that you are already on the roll with that same email address. Google and Microsoft are certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which is the basis for that transfer; the details are in the privacy policy.

Demokratian offers several plans suited to the size and the needs of your organisation. The main differences are:

• Number of members — each plan has a limit on active voters per organisation
• Simultaneous votes — higher plans allow several votes to be open at the same time
• Advanced features — exporting results, analytics, internal messaging and working groups are available from certain plans upwards
• Support — every plan includes email support; the higher plans add priority support

See the pricing page for the details of each plan.

Yes. You have two options for trying the platform:

• Free plan: You can create your account completely free of charge and with no time limit, without having to enter any credit card or payment details. You will have access to the basic features for running your votes.

• Paid plans: If you decide to subscribe to a higher plan, payment details will be requested when you sign up. Even so, all our paid plans come with a 14 day money back guarantee: if during the first two weeks the service does not fit what you are looking for, we refund the full amount.

Yes. You can manage changes to your subscription directly from your administration panel at any time:

• Upgrade: If you need more capacity or more features, you can choose between two options:

  • Immediate change: The new plan is activated straight away and a new billing cycle starts counting from that same day.

  • At the end of the current period: The scheduled new plan comes into force automatically just as your active billing cycle ends.

• Downgrade: Moving down to a lower plan or to the Free plan always takes effect at the start of the next billing cycle, letting you enjoy the benefits of your current plan until the period you paid for expires.

Almost. White-label removes the Demokratian brand from your space's interface, emails, SMS and generated documents, and takes your site out of the public directory. Two exceptions remain that are not up to us:

• The mandatory legal notices (legal notice, terms, privacy, cookies and accessibility), reachable from the footer of every page: they identify the service provider.

• The Google and Microsoft consent screen, if your site offers sign-in with those accounts: it shows "Demokratian", because the providers do not allow it to be customised per site. That is why enabling white-label switches that sign-in off by default; you can switch it back on in the site settings if you prefer convenience over discretion.

Charging is monthly, with no minimum term. For every charge you will automatically receive the corresponding invoice, fully valid for your organisation accounts.

Subscriptions are paid online and securely through our integrated payment gateway, which accepts the main credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and other fast digital methods (such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, subject to availability). The charge is processed automatically at the start of each monthly period.

If you need to take out a bespoke (On Demand) plan or custom development work, we also offer payment by bank transfer. Contact us for further details.

Yes. You can cancel your subscription from the administration panel at any time, with no minimum term and no penalties.

• Active period: When you cancel, you will continue to enjoy the benefits of your plan until the end of the monthly period you have already paid for.

• After expiry: Your voting website will become inactive (or will revert to the conditions of the Free plan). You will have a window in which to consult or export your data and censuses.

• Legal retention of data: Once this grace period has passed, the active subscription data will be removed from the working environment and kept blocked and encrypted for the legally established period (accessible solely in order to deal with possible challenges or legal requirements), after which it will be permanently erased.

A vote is the main process in Demokratian. It consists of putting one or more questions to a group of people (the census) so that each of them gives their answer (their vote) within a set period.

It can be an election between candidates, a yes/no approval, a ranking by preference or a multiple choice consultation.

The census is the list of people authorised to vote in a particular vote. Only the people included in the census can cast a vote.

You can manage the census by importing an Excel sheet, adding members manually or synchronising with your organisation member directory.

The quorum is the minimum number of votes that must be cast for the vote to be valid. If the quorum is not reached, the vote has no effect even if there is a clear majority.

In Demokratian you can configure the quorum as a percentage of the census or as an absolute number of participants, according to what your bylaws lay down.

Yes, the system manages the communication of your process from start to finish. If your plan allows it, you can launch mass calls to your entire electoral census and schedule automatic reminders aimed solely at those who have not yet cast their vote.

You also have a real time delivery tracking panel where you can check which emails were delivered correctly and spot possible bounces before the vote ends.

Absolutely. Depending on the plan you choose, you can customise the voting environment so that it reflects the visual identity of your organisation completely:

• Your own domain or subdomain (for example votes.myorganisation.org).

• Your logo, favicon and corporate colours.

• A custom sender email address.

For your voters the experience will be entirely native: they will be voting inside your own institutional website, with complete confidence.

It adds a reinforced extra layer of protection by asking for a second verification factor (a temporary code or an SMS) at login, on top of the usual password.

It is a strongly recommended feature for high impact processes (trade union elections, management boards, changes to bylaws), making sure that no compromised account can cast doubt on the validity of the result.

Working groups are subsets of members within your organisation who collaborate on specific projects or areas. You can create votes or consultations aimed only at the members of a particular group.

This feature is available on the mid range plans and above.

It is a dedicated space where auditors, notaries, trade unions or electoral committees can oversee the transparency of the process in real time without being able to alter any data.

• Maximum legal assurance: It supports the continuous audit required by your bylaws or by the applicable rules.

• Secure and independent access: It allows external scrutiny without having to share administration credentials.

Yes. Every electoral process has its own landing page with an independent URL, a cover image, an explanatory header and automatic multilingual translation.

You can configure whether you want to show the candidacies in advance, whether the results will be public once it ends, or whether you would rather feature the vote on the front page of your portal. It is the ideal showcase for publicising participatory processes, open budgets or citizen consultations.

The official record of a vote is the document that Demokratian generates automatically when each process closes. It works as digital evidence and documentary support for the decisions taken, and it includes:

• Details of the process: Title, voting period, questions put or candidacies.

• Participation metrics: Total number of people entitled to vote (the census) and the participation rate.

• Results: A detailed breakdown of the vote count.

• Validation of the rules: Automatic verification of quorum and required majorities.

• Integrity and cryptographic audit: It includes the Merkle root (the cryptographic fingerprint of the process), time-stamped at the close by an independent authority. Anyone can recompute the count from the published ballots and check that the vote has not been altered afterwards.

The record is downloaded in PDF format, sealed and verifiable, and serves as supporting documentation of the decisions taken at general meetings, boards or internal audits.

If your electoral process requires several consecutive decisions or several rounds of voting, series let you chain them into a single workflow that is simple for the user.

• A smooth experience: The voter sees a visual progress bar and, on completing one vote, the platform takes them automatically to the next.

• No scattering: It avoids having to coordinate separate links by email or losing participation between rounds.

Not every decision is taken on the principle of "one person, one vote". With the weighted voting feature, you can assign a different value or coefficient to each voter category (for example, shareholders according to their percentage of the capital, representatives with different numbers of delegated votes, or founding members).

The platform applies these weightings automatically and instantly during the count. It is the perfect solution for:

• Shareholder meetings and corporate decisions.

• Cooperatives and residents associations.

• Professional bodies and federations.

We adapt to the electoral rules of your organisation. Instead of imposing a single model on you, you can choose between several counting systems:

• Single or multiple vote: Standard choice, ticking one or several options.

• Borda and Dowdall methods: Ranking by order of preference in order to seek consensus.

• Single Transferable Vote (STV): An advanced proportional system for electing several positions.

• Surveys and debates: Tools for sounding out your community or debating proposals before the formal vote.

The platform performs the count automatically and generates public records with complete algorithmic transparency.