How to Run an Anonymous Poll
A short, practical guide to running a poll that is genuinely anonymous and hard to game.
Jul 10, 2026
Start with what "anonymous" has to mean
A poll is only anonymous if there is no stored data that ties a vote to a person. Labelling matters less than what the tool keeps. Before you run one, check whether voter IP addresses are retained. If they are, the poll is traceable, whatever the button says.
PollMaker.ai stores none. Each address is hashed with a secret unique to the poll and discarded when the ballot is cast.
The steps
- Write one clear question and two or more options. Keep it to a single decision.
- Choose duplicate-vote protection. IP plus cookie suits an open link; account-based suits a known group.
- Leave captcha on. It blocks automated stuffing and costs your voters a second.
- Decide when results show. Hiding them until the poll closes stops an early tally from swaying later voters.
- Share the link. No account is needed to vote.
If the result will be challenged
For a vote whose outcome people will dispute, add a verifiable tally with an Event Pass. Voters get receipts, and anyone can recompute the count to confirm it is honest.
Keep it safe
If a poll is abused, anyone can report it and it will be taken down. Reporting is anonymous.