Describe the office, candidates, eligibility rules, and ranking limit. Makeform turns your brief into a ranked choice voting form with instructions, ordered preferences, voter verification, and a confirmation screen.
Send ballot responses to Google Sheets, Slack, and Zapier.
Sample prompts for the builder
Choose a prompt, adapt it, or send it to the Makeform builder. The displayed structure is an example, not a counted result.
Audience
Association members electing one board chair
Format
Single-seat ballot with three ranked preferences
Prompt size
260 chars
Example ballot structure
Single-seat ballot with three ranked preferences
Member ID and email
First-choice candidate
Second-choice candidate
Third-choice candidate
Review and submit ballot
Suggested routing tags
Eligible ballots
Needs review
Election responses
State whether the election fills one seat or several because that determines the counting method used after collection.
Step 1
Define
office, candidates, seats, and eligibility
Step 2
Rank
voters order candidates by preference
Step 3
Review
each voter checks one complete ballot
Step 4
Export
administrators prepare responses for counting
A clearer preference ballot
Clear instructions, consistent candidate presentation, unique preferences, and a review step produce responses administrators can interpret.
Ask for first, second, third, and later choices in a deliberate sequence, while making optional lower rankings clear.
Explain the number of seats, ranking limit, deadline, write-in policy, and what happens when a voter skips a preference.
Give voters a final view of their ordered choices so they can catch a duplicate, omission, or unintended selection.
Flexible election briefs
Build leadership, representative, committee, or priority votes, then replace each example with your rules.
Verify a membership identifier, show an eligibility statement, and rank nominees for an association or nonprofit office.
Present comparable candidate summaries and collect longer preference lists when several seats are open.
Rank projects or proposals and add an optional comment that explains the voter's leading preference.
Build a compact mobile ballot for class officers, student councils, clubs, and campus committees.
Ballot workflow
Generate and inspect the ballot, invite eligible voters, then export responses for your selected counting process.
Name the office or decision, number of seats, candidates, eligible voters, deadline, preference limit, and write-in rule.
Check candidate spelling and order, preview mobile layouts, test skipped rankings, and confirm that duplicate selections are handled as intended.
Publish a link or embed the form where voters expect it, then state the opening and closing times beside the invitation.
Export consistent preference columns, separate ballots needing eligibility review, and apply the counting rules adopted for this election.
Choose a ballot format
A one-choice poll records a favorite. A ranked ballot must preserve preference order and explain how incomplete or repeated rankings will be treated.
Field guide
A usable ballot combines neutral context, structured preferences, clear exception rules, and an operational handoff. Review these six parts with the person responsible for the election.
Election context
Put the office or decision, open seats, voting window, and organizer contact first so voters know which contest they are completing.
Candidate information
Use the same fields, length, and visual treatment for every candidate. Neutral presentation supports fair comparison.
Preference fields
Label each rank and state the limit. Use a ranking control or ordered dropdowns that exclude candidates already chosen.
Eligibility and duplicates
Ask only for the needed identifier and explain its use. Decide how administrators will flag duplicate submissions or unresolved eligibility.
Exceptions and review
Explain whether voters may rank fewer candidates, skip, abstain, or write in a name. Show the order before submission.
Counting handoff
Single-seat and multi-seat methods differ. Keep each preference in a consistent column for the administrator's chosen rules.
Related tools
Create a simpler poll, collect nominations, or adapt an election form for a particular group using these live Makeform tools.
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Open toolFAQ
Practical answers for organizations designing and distributing preference ballots.
It lets a voter order candidates by preference instead of selecting one. The response records first, second, and any later ranks allowed by the rules.
Include the contest, seats, candidates, instructions, one field per preference, deadline, and review screen. Add only the voter identifier needed for eligibility, plus allowed write-in or abstain fields.
That depends on your rules. If partial rankings are allowed, mark later preferences optional and explain how blank or skipped ranks are handled.
Use a ranking control that keeps every candidate unique, or use conditional dropdowns that remove previously selected candidates. Test this behavior on desktop and mobile before opening the ballot.
The form collects and organizes preference responses. Winner calculation depends on the adopted method, such as a single-seat instant-runoff process or a multi-seat method. Export the rankings and have the election administrator apply the documented rules.
Yes. Add an optional write-in name and specify where that candidate belongs in the preference order. State spelling, eligibility, and review rules so administrators know how to reconcile variations.
You can omit direct identity questions when your process permits anonymous responses. If eligibility and one-vote checks are required, design a separate verification approach and clearly tell voters what information is collected and who reviews it.
Yes. Makeform is unlimited free for generating, editing, publishing, and collecting responses. The paid tier removes the Makeform badge.
Turn election rules into a clear ballot.
