One vote per person
A vote limit that lives in the browser is a suggestion. Votense enforces the limit on its own server at the moment a vote arrives — and is plain about how far each rule goes.
The four settings
Under Settings → Voting & results → One vote per person.
| Setting | One vote per | Voter needs | Can be got around by |
|---|---|---|---|
| No limit | — | Nothing | Not applicable |
| One per browser | Browser on a device | Nothing | Another browser or device, or clearing site data |
| One per network | Public IP address | Nothing | Another network, such as mobile data |
| One per account | Signed-in account | To sign in | A second account |
None of these is voter authentication
They stop accidental and casual repeat voting, in increasing strictness. None proves who a voter is or that they are entitled to vote. For a binding election, use software built for elections.
Why it is enforced on the server
When a vote arrives, Votense writes a ballot record for that voter and that survey with a condition: only if none exists. The database performs the check and the write as one step, so two votes sent at the same instant cannot both pass — one succeeds and the other is refused. Sending the same vote eight times at once produces exactly one vote.
The browser also remembers that it has voted and shows the “already voted” screen straight away on a return visit. That is a courtesy to save a wasted click; it is not what enforces the rule, and removing it changes nothing about what the server accepts.
The ballot is claimed after the other checks — the bot check, whether the survey is open, whether it is full — so a vote that is refused for one of those reasons does not use up the voter’s one ballot. If storing the vote then fails, the ballot is released so the voter can try again.
What is stored about a voter
- A hash of the browser identifier, the IP address or the account id — whichever the rule uses — combined with the survey’s id, so the same person has a different hash on every survey.
- The time of the vote.
- An expiry: ballot records are deleted automatically after 180 days, and immediately when you delete the survey.
The ballot record does not contain the answer, and the response does not contain the hash. They are kept in separate tables.
Choosing a rule
For a poll among people who have no reason to cheat, one per browser is enough and costs voters nothing. For a public vote with something at stake, one per account is the only rule that a second device does not defeat — at the price of fewer votes, because some people will not sign in. For a survey, leave it on no limit unless duplicates are a real risk; the “allow multiple submissions” and email settings cover the usual cases.
Common questions
- Can someone vote twice by clearing their cookies?
- Under “one per browser”, clearing the browser’s stored data makes it look like a new browser, so yes — a person willing to do that can vote again. “One per network” is not affected by clearing data, and “one per account” is tied to a sign-in. Choose the rule that matches how much it matters.
- What happens when someone tries to vote again?
- The vote is refused and the page says a vote from them is already counted. If the survey’s results are visible to voters, the results are shown beneath that message. Nothing is added to the count.
- What does “one per network” mean for an office or a school?
- Everyone behind one shared internet connection has the same public IP address and so shares a single vote. It is the strictest rule that needs no sign-in, and the wrong one for a group that sits on the same network.
- Is the vote still anonymous?
- The limit stores a one-way hash that is different for every survey, in a separate table from the answers, and deletes it after 180 days. It records that a voter voted, not what they chose. Under “one per account” the hash is derived from the account, and voters must sign in.
- What is the default?
- A poll allows one vote per browser. A survey has no limit. Both can be changed under Settings → Voting & results.