Clickers vs. App-Based Electronic Voting: What’s the Difference?
In the ever-evolving landscape of modern governance, the way city council meetings are conducted plays a pivotal role in ensuring efficient decision-making. Council electronic voting systems have become increasingly popular to help streamline council meetings. However, not all electronic voting systems provide the same capabilities and features.
Though clicker voting systems were once a modern solution, new systems, such as the OpenMeeting app-based electronic voting system, have shown how limited clicker systems are in their simplicity.
OpenMeeting released a clicker voting system in 2003 but has since evolved to meet the needs of modern government. Enter the OpenMeeting app-based electronic voting system, a game-changer that has taken outdated clicker voting systems by storm.
The OpenMeeting system has proven to be vastly superior to clicker voting systems in city council meetings, offering a host of features that empower council members and modernize council meetings.
1. Features and Customization
The limitations of clicker voting systems are abundantly clear when compared to the feature-rich OpenMeeting electronic voting app. The OpenMeeting app provides council members with a digital agenda, the ability to make motions and seconds, a request-to-speak function with an automatic speaker queue, and more. These features help to keep council members on track and elevate the efficiency and productivity of meetings.
With the OpenMeeting electronic voting app, council members can motion, second, vote, and see the vote results on their tablets.
3. Automatic Documentation & Meeting Minutes
While clicker voting systems fall short in terms of automatic documentation, the OpenMeeting app-based electronic voting system excels. Every action taken during a meeting is automatically recorded, creating comprehensive meeting minutes and documentation. This level of accuracy and detail reduces administrative burden post-meeting and ensures accountability.
2. Keeping the Meeting on Track
An important feature of the OpenMeeting app-based electronic voting system is its ability to guide council members through the meeting agenda seamlessly. Unlike clicker systems that lack screens and the capability to keep the meeting on track, the OpenMeeting app automatically prompts council members for critical actions such as roll call, motions and seconds, requests to speak, and voting. This automation ensures that meetings remain focused and productive.
Council members can easily follow along with the meeting with a digital agenda and prompts for actions when necessary.
4. Integration with A/V Equipment
With modern technology capabilities and the increased demand for transparency, many councils stream their meetings online and utilize modern A/V equipment to create a smooth online viewing experience for the public.
The OpenMeeting app-based electronic voting system seamlessly integrates with A/V systems, allowing for full meeting automation. This integration ensures that presentations, discussion, and voting are seamlessly synchronized and easy to follow through camera and microphone switching, enhancing the overall meeting experience. Because of the outdated technology used by clicker voting systems, they are unable to provide this comprehensive integration.
5. Hybrid and Remote Meeting Readiness
As hybrid and remote meeting scenarios become more commonplace, the OpenMeeting app-based electronic voting system stands as a beacon of adaptability. Unlike clicker voting systems that are ill-equipped for remote participation, the OpenMeeting system is designed to facilitate both hybrid and fully remote council meetings. This flexibility enables council members to participate regardless of their physical location.
Overall, old clicker voting systems compared to our modern app-based electronic voting system is like comparing rotary phones to smartphones. They are both able to make calls, but a smartphone can do so much more. Clickers and our electronic voting app both offer the ability to vote electronically, but the app-based system provides far more features, customization, and adaptability to fit the needs of modern government.
By adopting the OpenMeeting app-based electronic voting and discussion management system, city councils unlock a new era of efficient decision-making, transparency, and engagement, propelling local governance into the digital age and empowering council members to serve their communities with enhanced capabilities.
Are you looking for a modern electronic voting system for your city council meetings? Learn more about the OpenMeeting electronic voting and discussion management system today!
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