# Polls

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/polls

> Run a quick poll inside a chat conversation and watch the results update live.

> **Enabling Chat**
>
> Chat is an optional feature. The Account Owner can turn it on from the [Optional Features](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/optional-features#chat) page.

Polls let you ask a quick question inside a chat conversation and collect answers in one place, instead of chasing people for a reply one by one. They work in both direct messages and group channels, and results update live for everyone as votes come in.

Polls are included with Chat - there is no extra setting to switch on.

> **Where polls work**
>
> - **Creating** and **closing** a poll is available on the **web app**.
> - **Voting** works on both the **web app** and the **mobile app**.

## Creating a Poll

A poll is sent as a message, and **the message itself is the question**. There is no separate question field.

To create a poll:

1. Open the direct message or group channel you would like to poll
2. Type your question in the message box
3. Click the **Poll** icon in the formatting toolbar below the message box

![The chat message box toolbar with an arrow pointing to the Poll icon and its Poll tooltip, next to the attachment and voice note icons.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-polls-composer-button.png)

4. A **Poll** panel appears with two blank answers. Fill in **Option 1** and **Option 2**
5. Click **Add another** to add more answers (up to 10 in total)
6. Turn on **Allow multiple answers** if people should be able to pick more than one
7. Press **Enter** or click the send button

![The poll builder in the chat message box, with the question Hey team, which days suit you for the house meeting next week? typed above it, options Monday, Wednesday and Friday, an Add another button, and arrows pointing to the question and to the Allow multiple answers switch, which is on.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-polls-builder-guide.png)

The poll is posted to the conversation and everyone in it can vote straight away. Like any other message, it triggers the usual chat notifications, and the question text is what appears as the conversation preview in the chat list.

To abandon a poll before sending it, click the **X** at the top right of the **Poll** panel.

> **Poll rules**
>
> - A poll needs a **question** - you cannot send a poll on its own with an empty message
> - A poll needs at least **2** answers and can have at most **10**
> - Each answer must be **different** and no longer than 255 characters. Blank answers are ignored
> - A poll **cannot** be combined with an attachment or a voice note in the same message

## Voting in a Poll

Anyone in the conversation can vote, including the person who created the poll. You do not need to vote to see the results.

To vote, click (or tap on mobile) the answer you want. Your choice is marked with a tick.

The poll shows how many answers you can pick:

- **SELECT ONE** - you can choose a single answer. Picking a different answer moves your vote
- **SELECT ANY THAT APPLY** - you can choose as many answers as you like

![A poll from Helena Grimes in a web chat conversation asking Which days suit you for the house meeting next week?, labelled Select any that apply, with Monday at 25%, Wednesday ticked at 75%, Friday at 50% and 4 voters.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-polls-results-web.png)

You can change your mind at any time while the poll is open. Click an answer you have already chosen to take your vote back, or click a different answer to move it. Votes work as a toggle, in the same way as [reactions](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/messaging#reactions).

### Voting on the Mobile App

Support Workers can vote in a poll from the mobile app by tapping an answer. The percentages, the total number of voters and the closed status all update live, exactly as they do on the web app.

![The Astalty mobile app showing a group chat with a poll asking "Who can attend the fire safety training this Friday?" labelled "Select one", with three answers showing percentages and a footer reading "5 voters".](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-polls-mobile.png)

> **Seeing who voted**
>
> The list of names behind each answer is only shown on the **web app**. On the mobile app you will see the percentages and the total number of voters, but not the individual names.

## Viewing the Results

Results are visible to everyone in the conversation from the moment the poll is sent, and they update live as people vote - no need to refresh.

Each poll shows:

- A **percentage** and a progress bar for each answer
- The total number of people who have voted, for example **4 voters**
- A tick against the answer or answers **you** chose

On the web app, hover over an answer to see the names of the people who chose it. Your own vote appears as **You**. If nobody has chosen that answer yet, the tooltip shows **No votes yet**.

> **Percentages are a share of voters, not of votes**
>
> Percentages are worked out against the **number of people who voted**, not the number of votes cast. In a poll that allows multiple answers, one person can choose several answers, so the percentages will usually add up to more than 100%.

## Closing a Poll

Closing a poll locks the results in so no one can vote or change their answer.

> **Only the person who created the poll can close it**
>
> Closing is limited to the person who sent the poll. Administrators cannot close someone else's poll, and a poll **cannot be reopened** once it has been closed.

To close a poll:

1. Find your poll in the conversation
2. Click **Close poll** at the bottom of the poll
3. Confirm by clicking **Close poll** in the confirmation window

Once closed, the answers can no longer be clicked and the poll shows **Poll closed** along with the total number of voters. The results and the names of who voted stay visible to everyone.

## Editing and Deleting a Poll

A poll **cannot be edited** after it has been sent - neither the question nor the answers. If you need to change something, delete the poll and send a new one.

Polls are deleted in the same way as any other message: hover over the poll, then choose **Delete** from the message actions. Deleting removes the poll and its votes from the conversation. See [Deleting a Message](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/messaging#deleting-a-message) for more detail.