ElectionBuddy
ElectionBuddy is a bootstrapped Canadian SaaS platform founded in 2011 that enables associations, unions, non-profits, schools, governments, and other organizations to run secure online elections and meeting votes in 55 languages across 184 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersEdmonton, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ElectionBuddy does
ElectionBuddy Inc. is a privately held, Edmonton, Alberta-based SaaS company founded in 2011 that operates an online voting and election management platform purpose-built for organizations rather than for general consumer polling. The core ElectionBuddy platform supports the full election lifecycle — ballot creation, voter notification, vote casting, and real-time results — with 256-bit encryption, audit trails, two-factor authentication, and support for six voting methods (plurality, cumulative, preferential, STV, approval, scored). A second product, MeetingVote, extends the same infrastructure to in-person, virtual, and hybrid meeting votes via kiosk mode and Zoom integration. The platform is delivered as a web-based service available in 55 languages across 184 countries, with native integrations to Google Sheets (voter import), Stripe (payments), and Zoom (meeting votes), plus APIs, webhooks, and SSO for enterprise and developer use.
The company serves a horizontal set of organizational buyers including professional and industry associations, unions, non-profits and NGOs, HOAs, golf and country clubs, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, political parties, governments, First Nations and tribal councils, religious groups, cooperatives and credit unions, law and accounting firms, and for-profit companies. Named customers span Deloitte, NAACP, Columbia University, IATSE, and Australian Red Cross, illustrating credibility across both enterprise and non-profit contexts.
ElectionBuddy monetizes through a freemium funnel (free for up to 20 voters), tiered paid subscriptions (Plus, Premium, Professional, and Annual Subscription with prepaid voter credits), pay-per-use per-election pricing for non-subscribers, and optional professional services for expert-assisted or independently observed elections. Go-to-market combines product-led self-serve registration with a sales-assisted "Talk to an Expert" channel for complex elections, and a formal partner program for resellers and integrators. The company is bootstrapped, with no disclosed venture funding, and operates with a headcount of 11-50 employees under founder and president Dave Bodnarchuk.
ElectionBuddy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ElectionBuddy
- Legal name
- ElectionBuddy Inc.
- Website
- https://electionbuddy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ElectionBuddy is a bootstrapped Canadian SaaS platform founded in 2011 that enables associations, unions, non-profits, schools, governments, and other organizations to run secure online elections and meeting votes in 55 languages across 184 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ElectionBuddy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Voting & Election Management Software
- NAICS
- Political Organizations (813940)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)
Keywords
Where ElectionBuddy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edmonton
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ElectionBuddy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription (Tiered): Tiered subscription model including free tier (up to 20 voters), Plus, Premium, Professional, and Annual Subscription plans. Pricing based on voter count and feature tier. Annual subscriptions include voter credits with ability to purchase additional credits.
- Pay-per-Use Voting: Per-election pricing for organizations without annual subscriptions. Users pay based on voter count and features selected for each individual vote.
- Professional Services: Dedicated expert services for organizations requiring assistance with election setup, management, or independent election oversight. Remote or onsite support available.
- Annual Subscription Voter Credits: Pre-purchased voter credits for annual subscribers that can be redeemed across multiple elections throughout the year.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Tier - Free election platform access for up to 20 voters |
| Subscription | Annual | Plus, Premium, Professional, Subscription Tiers |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-per-Use Voting |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
ElectionBuddy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ElectionBuddy operates a web-based SaaS platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and tabulate online elections and meeting votes. The platform supports multiple voting methods, multi-channel voter notification (email, SMS, mail), 256-bit encrypted ballots, audit trails, real-time results, and 55 languages. A freemium tier (free for up to 20 voters) sits alongside tiered subscriptions, pay-per-use per-election pricing, and optional expert-assisted election services.
Product overview
ElectionBuddy is a single unified SaaS voting platform offering two core product modes: the standard ElectionBuddy Platform for organization-wide elections (board elections, bylaws, approvals, motions, surveys), and MeetingVote for in-person, virtual, or hybrid meeting votes. Both modes share common infrastructure including voter management, multiple voting methods (plurality, cumulative, preferential, STV, approval), ballot customization, multi-channel notifications (email, SMS, mail, printed), and real-time results. The platform is free for up to 20 voters with paid tiers for larger elections.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ElectionBuddy Platform Comprehensive online voting and election management SaaS platform that enables organizations to create, run, and tabulate elections and meeting votes. Features include ballot creation, voter notification via email/SMS/mail, six voting methods (plurality, cumulative, preferential, STV, approval, scored), 256-bit encrypted ballots, audit trails, two-factor authentication, real-time results, and reporting. Serves professional associations, non-profits, schools, unions, governments, and for-profit companies.
- MeetingVote Specialized voting module for in-person meetings, videoconferences, and hybrid meetings. Supports kiosk mode for on-site voting and integrates with video conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom) to enable remote participation. Built for boards, committees, and member meetings that need real-time vote capture and tabulation during a live session.
- Expert Election Services Professional services offering where ElectionBuddy's dedicated experts design, set up, run, or oversee elections on behalf of organizations. Available remotely or onsite, including independent election observation and certification, for organizations requiring additional support or external validation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 76% increase in voter engagement in first 4 days compared to previous solution
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ElectionBuddy
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments15 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ElectionBuddy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature8 records
ElectionBuddy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- StripecorePayment processing partner handling Visa, MasterCard, and American Express transactions securely. ElectionBuddy does not store credit card details, relying entirely on Stripe for payment processing.
- Google SheetscoreIntegration allows organizations to import voter lists directly from Google Sheets, reducing manual data entry and errors during election setup.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ElectionBuddy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Qualtrics: Enterprise experience management platform with voting/polling modules. Targets the higher end of ElectionBuddy's market with deeper analytics and integrations, and represents the kind of broad incumbent that could compress ElectionBuddy's specialized positioning.
- SurveyMonkey: Large horizontal survey and forms platform that increasingly supports voting/polling workflows. Competes for the lighter end of ElectionBuddy's use cases while lacking the binding-election specialization, but benefits from scale, brand, and bundling.
Direct peers
- OpaVote: Specialized online voting platform supporting preferential, STV, and ranked-choice methods. Competes directly with ElectionBuddy on voting method diversity and the association/organizational election use case.
- eBallot: Online voting platform serving unions, associations, HOAs, and member-based organizations. Closely comparable in target customer, voting methods supported, and self-serve SaaS delivery model.
- BigPulse: Online voting and election management provider for member-based organizations, professional bodies, and unions. Comparable on feature set, security positioning, and customer segment focus.
- Simply Voting: Direct competitor offering online voting for associations, unions, and member organizations. Overlaps closely with ElectionBuddy on core election functionality, security posture, and customer segments including HOAs, cooperatives, and professional associations.
- ElectionRunner: Online election platform for HOAs, clubs, associations, and student organizations. Directly competes with ElectionBuddy's lower end and association-focused positioning with a similar freemium/SaaS model.
Emerging players
- Poll Everywhere: Audience response and live polling platform primarily serving education and corporate meetings. Overlaps with ElectionBuddy's MeetingVote product line for hybrid/in-person meeting voting scenarios.
- Lattice: While not a direct voting tool, it represents adjacent enterprise governance software with election/compliance modules for board and corporate governance — the direction ElectionBuddy's enterprise segment could be pressured from.
- SurveyLegend: Online survey and feedback platform with voting/poll functionality. Partially overlapping — used for lighter-weight elections and polls — but lacking the binding-election specialization and audit infrastructure ElectionBuddy emphasizes.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ElectionBuddy social profiles
Digital presenceElectionBuddy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ElectionBuddy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ElectionBuddy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ElectionBuddy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ElectionBuddy
What does ElectionBuddy do?
ElectionBuddy operates a web-based SaaS platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and tabulate online elections and meeting votes. The platform supports multiple voting methods, multi-channel voter notification (email, SMS, mail), 256-bit encrypted ballots, audit trails, real-time results, and 55 languages. A freemium tier (free for up to 20 voters) sits alongside tiered subscriptions, pay-per-use per-election pricing, and optional expert-assisted election services.
Is ElectionBuddy a public or private company?
ElectionBuddy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ElectionBuddy founded?
ElectionBuddy was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ElectionBuddy based?
ElectionBuddy is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada, in the North America region.
How does ElectionBuddy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription (Tiered) is the primary driver. The others are pay-per-Use Voting, professional Services and annual Subscription Voter Credits.
Who are ElectionBuddy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Qualtrics and SurveyMonkey. Direct peers are OpaVote, eBallot, BigPulse, Simply Voting and ElectionRunner. Emerging players are Poll Everywhere, Lattice and SurveyLegend.
Does ElectionBuddy have an API?
Yes. ElectionBuddy provides APIs available to Administrators and third-party Developers for integrating third-party applications with ElectionBuddy Services. Developers can register to access APIs for enabling third-party systems to communicate and interoperate with ElectionBuddy. API usage requires compliance with terms including call limits, no combining with AI-related technologies or large language models without approval, and prohibition on using APIs to build competing products.
What industry is ElectionBuddy in?
ElectionBuddy's product category is Online Voting & Election Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAGAA, Electoral Support & Election Observation. Its NAICS code is 813940 and its SIC code is 7372.