Polls

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Polls let you gather quick feedback, run votes, or check understanding during a live session. Participants vote directly in the chat sidebar, and results update in real time.

Creating a Poll

Open the Polls panel (:go in the command palette) and click Create Poll. Only organisers can create polls.

Poll Form

  • Question — what you're asking (up to 200 characters)
  • Options — 2 to 10 answer choices (up to 100 characters each). Drag to reorder.
  • Duration — how long voting stays open: 30 sec, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min, 10 min, or no limit
  • Allow multiple selections — let voters pick more than one option
  • Anonymous voting — hide who voted for what (vote counts still visible)

You can Create & Launch immediately, or Save Draft to launch later.

Voting

Participants click an option to vote — no submit button needed. Their vote registers instantly and results update live for everyone. If multi-select is enabled, participants can pick multiple options.

Voting is only available while the poll is active. Participants cannot vote on drafts or ended polls.

Live Results

Results are visible in real time while the poll is active:

  • Each option shows its vote count and percentage
  • A progress bar fills proportionally
  • For non-anonymous polls, voter names appear below each option (up to 5 shown, with a "+X more" indicator)
  • Total participant count appears at the bottom

Active Poll Banner

When a poll is active, an Active Poll banner appears at the top of the chat panel. Participants can vote directly from the banner without switching to the Polls tab. The banner shows:

  • The poll question and options
  • A countdown timer (pulsing amber when under 10 seconds)
  • Vote counts and percentages

Managing Polls

Draft Polls

Draft polls are visible only to organisers. From a draft, you can Edit, Launch, or Delete.

Active Polls

While a poll is running, organisers can:

  • Extend +1m or Extend +5m — add time (available when under 60 seconds remain)
  • End — close voting immediately

Ended Polls

After a poll ends, organisers can:

  • Reopen +5m — reopen for 5 more minutes (available within 5 minutes of ending)
  • Duplicate — create a new poll with the same question and options
  • Delete — remove the poll entirely

Tips

  • Use short durations (30 sec or 1 min) for quick temperature checks mid-session
  • Use anonymous voting for sensitive topics where participants might not want to be identified
  • Duplicate a poll to run the same question again with a different group or after a discussion