This topic is organized into the following sections:
A poll is an eRoom page for taking a vote. Polls help teams reach closure by moving them away from open-ended discussion and closer to making decisions. You can create a poll, edit a poll, and vote in poll.
When a poll is part of another item (such as a poll within a discussion topic), it is called an embedded poll. Otherwise it is a standalone poll.
You start creating a standalone poll just like any other item. When you select the poll item on the Create page, the Create Poll wizard opens and guides you through three steps in setting up a poll.
To take a poll within another item, click 
to start the Create Poll wizard.
Note:
The "take a vote" button is available in items that have the
Include space for comments and
votes option turned on. Discussion items always include this button.
Give your poll a title.
Pick whether you want to ask Just One (the default) or More Than One question.
Change any of the following properties by clicking the corresponding button:
the access control settings for the poll
what the poll's icon looks like
whether the poll has any custom commands (for details about custom commands, see the Server Extension Programmer's Guide within the eRoom API Help)
Click "Next" to go to the next page in the wizard.
Type your (first) question.
On separate lines, fill in the choices members will have for answering.
If you want members to be able to give their own answers, select the "Allow write-in votes" check box.
If you want members to be able to supply more than one answer, select the "Allow multiple votes" check box.
For a single question, click "Next" to go to the next page in the wizard.
For multiple questions, click "Next" to go to the next blank question page and fill it in. Repeat these steps until you finish adding questions. To proceed to the next page in the wizard, click "Next" to go to the next blank question page, and then click "Next" without changing any of the fields.
Pick who can see the total number of votes that each choice receives: anyone, just those who vote, or just you and the eRoom coordinators. If members cannot see totals for each choice, they only see the total number of votes cast. This option can be useful if you want to discourage voters from being influenced by choices other members make, or if you want to keep voting tallies private.
If you want eRoom to sort totals so that choices with the greatest number of votes are listed first, leave the check box for the "Sort..." option selected. This option lets you rank choices in order of preference. So, for example, you can see at-a-glance if there are any clear winners in the poll, or how evenly distributed the votes are. Clear the check box if you want choices to appear in the order in which they are presented in the poll, followed by the number of votes they receive.
Pick who can see how members voted -- anyone, just those who vote, or just you and the eRoom coordinators. This option lets you control the degree to which voting is anonymous. Greater confidentiality among voters can promote higher rates of participation in polls, and can sometimes elicit more honest responses.
If you don't want your poll to include space for members' comments or for attachments, clear the check boxes for one or both of these options, which are initially selected.
Click "OK" to finish creating the poll.
You can cast a vote in a poll as long as you have the rights to do so and the voting is still open. Once you vote, you can revise your choices if the poll allows you to see your vote (that is, unless only vote totals are shown).
If you receive email asking you to vote in a poll, click the link to go to that page.
Or, go to a standalone poll by clicking its name or icon on an eRoom page.
Or, on an item page with an embedded poll, look for the word Poll in bold.
Click the Vote button to open the Vote dialog box.
A question appears at the top. If there are multiple questions, eRoom also shows which one in the total number of questions you are being asked (for example, 1 of 2).
Cast your vote as follows:
If you are only allowed a single choice, pick your answer by selecting its radio button.
If you can select more than one, select the check box(es) next to your choice(s).
If write-in votes are allowed, you can type your answer in the text box.
Click "Next" to answer a series of questions.
Click "Previous" to revise an earlier choice.
Click "Cancel" to discard your vote.
Click "OK" after you answer a single question or when you answer the last in a series of questions. The voting dialog box closes and you return to the poll page.
Note:
For polls that have multiple questions, you can answer as many
or as few questions as you like. However, if you answer at least one question,
eRoom records your choices for the questions you leave blank as "(none)".
If you don't answer any of the questions, no vote is recorded in the poll.
Go to the poll and "Vote" again.
Or, if the poll shows how you voted, click
the edit icon (
)
next to your vote.
Revise your vote as follows:
Change your first answer.
Click "Next" to change multiple answers.
Click "Previous" to revise an earlier choice.
Click "Cancel" to discard your revised choices and to retain your earlier vote.
Click "OK" to finish revising a single question or when you revise the last in a series of questions.
Note:
To delete your vote if the poll shows how you voted, click the
delete icon (
) next to your vote.
You can edit a poll even if votes have already been cast. When you do, a multiple-choice Edit dialog opens in which you can choose to
Rename the poll, unless it is an embedded poll.
Edit a question (or the only question).
Add more questions.
Delete a question (for multiple-question polls only; you delete a single-question poll as you would delete any item).
Change display settings.
Close voting for a poll with votes cast, or reopen a closed poll for voting.
The next steps depend on what you want to do. Instructions in subsequent pages help guide your actions.
If you edit a question or add a question, eRoom prompts you to decide whether to
Preserve existing votes.
Delete existing votes and restart the poll.
Delete existing votes, restart the poll, and to members who have already voted, send email asking them to vote again.
If you choose to delete existing votes, you have a chance to confirm the action before eRoom deletes votes and any write-in choices.
If you choose to alert previous voters by email that you are deleting a poll and starting it over, you can edit the message before eRoom sends it.
Note:
If you edit or delete choices in a poll question, and you do not
restart the poll, votes cast for obsolete choices remain displayed in
the poll.
If you choose to delete a question, you have a chance to confirm the action before eRoom deletes the question and all of its votes.
After votes are cast, you might want to permanently close a poll when a voting deadline (if any) is reached, or if to "freeze" a poll and archive its votes. Or, you might want to temporarily close a poll in which votes have been cast in order to change its properties, or to edit or add a question.
On the Edit Poll page, pick Close the voting.
You have the option to adjust the display settings for the poll.
When you click "OK", eRoom sets the poll to read-only, and in place of the Vote button, a notice appears at the top of the page indicating that the poll is closed.
On the Edit Poll page, pick Reopen the voting.
As when you closed the poll, you have the option to adjust the display settings for the poll.
When you click "OK", eRoom removes the read-only setting and the Vote button reappears on the page, and voting can resume.