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This guide covers all aspects of voter management in the Consensus e-voting platform, from reviewing registrations to managing voter statuses.

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Voter Management Overview

As an administrator, you control who can vote in your elections through the voter approval system. Access voter management at /admin/voters.

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Understanding Voter Statuses

Every voter has one of three registration statuses:

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PENDING

  • New registration awaiting admin review
  • Voter cannot vote yet
  • Shows “Registration Pending” on voter dashboard
  • Requires admin action (approve or reject)

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APPROVED

  • Voter registration is approved
  • Can participate in all active elections
  • Shows “Verified” status on dashboard
  • Can vote immediately

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REJECTED

  • Voter registration was declined
  • Cannot vote in any election
  • Shows “Registration Not Approved” on dashboard
  • Can contact admin for more information

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Viewing Voter List

The voter management page displays all registered voters.

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Voter Information Displayed

For each voter, you can see:
  • Name: Full name as provided during registration
  • Email: Email address (unique identifier)
  • Status: Current registration status badge
  • Registered: Date of registration
  • Actions: Quick action buttons

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Filtering Voters

Use the filter tabs to narrow your view:
1

All Voters

Click “All” to see every registered voter regardless of status. Shows total count.
2

Pending Voters

Click “Pending” to see only voters awaiting approval. Shows count of pending registrations.
3

Approved Voters

Click “Approved” to see voters who can vote. Shows count of approved voters.
4

Rejected Voters

Click “Rejected” to see declined registrations. Shows count of rejected voters.
Periodically check the “Pending” filter to ensure new registrations are reviewed promptly.

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Searching for Voters

Use the search bar to find specific voters:
1

Enter Search Term

Type in the search box to filter voters by:
  • Name (case-insensitive)
  • Email address (case-insensitive)
  • Any matching text
2

View Filtered Results

The table updates in real-time to show only matching voters.
3

Clear Search

Delete your search term to show all voters again.

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Approving Voter Registrations

When new voters register, they appear in the pending list awaiting approval.

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Quick Approval from List

Approve voters directly from the voters list:
1

Filter to Pending

Click the “Pending” tab to see registrations awaiting approval.
2

Review Voter Information

Check the voter’s name and email in the list.
3

Click Approve Icon

Click the green check mark icon next to the voter.
4

Confirmation

The voter’s status immediately changes to APPROVED and they can now vote.

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Detailed Review and Approval

For a more thorough review:
1

Open Voter Details

Click the eye icon next to a voter to open their detail page at /admin/voters/:id.
2

Review Complete Information

The detail page shows:
  • Full name
  • Email address
  • Voter ID (unique identifier)
  • Registration date and time
  • Current status
3

Approve Voter

If appropriate, click the “Approve Voter” button on the detail page.
4

Voter Notified

The voter’s status updates to APPROVED. They can immediately participate in active elections.
Approval is immediate. As soon as you approve a voter, they gain access to vote in any active elections.

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Rejecting Voter Registrations

Sometimes you may need to decline voter registrations.

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Quick Rejection from List

1

Locate Voter

Find the voter in the pending list.
2

Click Reject Icon

Click the red X icon next to the voter.
3

Status Updated

The voter’s status immediately changes to REJECTED.

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Rejection from Detail Page

1

Open Voter Details

Navigate to the voter’s detail page.
2

Review Information

Verify this is the correct voter to reject.
3

Click Reject Voter

Click the “Reject Voter” button.
4

Confirm Rejection

The voter status updates to REJECTED and they cannot vote.

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Impact of Rejection

When a voter is rejected:
  • They cannot vote in any election
  • Their dashboard shows “Registration Not Approved”
  • They see a message to contact an administrator
  • They remain in the system as rejected
Rejection does not delete the voter account. They can still log in but will see a rejection notice and cannot vote.

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Auto-Approval Configuration

You can configure the system to automatically approve new registrations.

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Enabling Auto-Approval

1

Navigate to Settings

Go to /admin/management from the admin sidebar.
2

Find Auto-Approval Setting

Locate the “Auto-Approval Enabled” toggle.
3

Enable Auto-Approval

Toggle the switch to enable automatic approval.
4

Save Settings

Click “Save Settings” to apply changes.

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How Auto-Approval Works

When enabled:
  • New voter registrations are automatically approved
  • Voters can vote immediately after registration
  • No admin action required
  • Voters never appear in pending list
  • Best for trusted communities

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When to Use Auto-Approval

Enable auto-approval when:
  • Operating in a trusted environment (e.g., company-wide votes)
  • Registration is through verified email domains
  • Speed is more important than vetting
  • You have other verification methods
Disable auto-approval when:
  • You need to verify voter identities
  • Restricting voting to specific individuals
  • Running high-stakes elections
  • Security is a primary concern
For most organizations, manual approval provides better control over who can vote. Only use auto-approval if you’re certain all registrants should be allowed to vote.

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Changing Voter Status

You can change voter status at any time.

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Re-Approving a Rejected Voter

1

Find Rejected Voter

Use the “Rejected” filter or search for the voter.
2

Open Detail Page

Click the eye icon to view voter details.
3

Approve Voter

Click the “Approve Voter” button to change status from REJECTED to APPROVED.

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Rejecting an Approved Voter

If you need to revoke voting access:
1

Find Approved Voter

Locate the voter in the approved list.
2

Open Detail Page

Navigate to their detail page.
3

Reject Voter

Click the “Reject Voter” button to revoke access.
Changing a voter from approved to rejected does not remove votes they’ve already cast. It only prevents future voting.

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Guest Voting

Consensus supports anonymous guest voting by IP address.

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How Guest Voting Works

  • Visitors can vote without registering
  • System creates guest account based on IP address
  • Guest accounts are auto-approved
  • Each IP can vote once per election
  • Requires public IP addresses (not localhost/private IPs)

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Enabling Guest Voting

1

Go to Settings

Navigate to /admin/management.
2

Enable Guest Voting

Toggle “Guest Voting Enabled” to on.
3

Save Settings

Click “Save Settings” to activate guest voting.

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Guest Voter Accounts

Guest voters appear in your voter list:
  • Name: “Guest” with partial IP hash (e.g., “Guest (a3b2c1d4)”)
  • Email: Internal guest email format
  • Status: Always APPROVED
  • Cannot be manually rejected

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Considerations for Guest Voting

Advantages:
  • No registration barrier
  • Quick participation
  • Anonymous voting
  • Good for public polls
Disadvantages:
  • Less control over who votes
  • IP-based (can be circumvented with VPN)
  • Cannot verify identity
  • Not suitable for official elections
Guest voting is not recommended for elections requiring verified identities or high security. Use only for informal polls or public opinion gathering.

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Bulk Operations

While the current interface handles voters individually, you can work efficiently:

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Approving Multiple Pending Voters

1

Filter to Pending

View only pending voters.
2

Approve One by One

Click the approve icon for each voter in sequence.
3

Monitor Count

Watch the pending count decrease as you approve.
Open the pending voters list and work through it systematically. The page updates in real-time as you approve voters.

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Voter Privacy and Data

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Information You Can See

As an administrator, you have access to:
  • Voter name and email
  • Registration date
  • Approval status
  • Voter ID (system identifier)

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Information You Cannot See

The system protects ballot secrecy:
  • Who a voter voted for
  • Specific candidate choices
  • Vote contents or preferences
  • Vote-to-voter linkage
You can see THAT a voter voted (in vote counts), but not HOW they voted. This ensures ballot secrecy.

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GDPR Compliance

Voters have the right to:
  • Access their data
  • Delete their account
  • Export their information
When a voter deletes their account:
  • Their registration is removed
  • Personal data is deleted
  • Vote confirmations are removed
  • Actual votes remain anonymous in the ballot box

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Best Practices

Timely Approval
  • Check pending registrations daily
  • Approve legitimate voters promptly
  • Don’t leave voters waiting unnecessarily
  • Set up a regular review schedule
Verification
  • Verify voter identities if required by your organization
  • Check email domains for legitimacy
  • Look for duplicate or suspicious registrations
  • Cross-reference with authorized voter lists if available
Communication
  • Inform voters how long approval typically takes
  • Provide contact information for approval questions
  • Notify rejected voters with reason (outside the system)
  • Set clear expectations about the approval process
Security
  • Review rejected voters periodically
  • Monitor for patterns of fraudulent registrations
  • Use manual approval for sensitive elections
  • Enable CAPTCHA to reduce bot registrations
Organization
  • Use search to quickly find specific voters
  • Use filters to focus on voters needing attention
  • Keep accurate records of approval decisions
  • Document reasons for rejections (in separate system)

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Troubleshooting

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Voter not appearing in list

  • Verify they completed registration
  • Check all status filters (not just pending)
  • Use search to find by email or name
  • Refresh the page

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Cannot approve voter

  • Ensure you’re logged in as admin
  • Check that voter is in PENDING status
  • Refresh and try again
  • Check browser console for errors

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Approved voter says they can’t vote

  • Verify their status is APPROVED (not pending)
  • Check that elections are ACTIVE
  • Ensure current time is between start and end dates
  • Verify they haven’t already voted in that election

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Guest voting not working

  • Check that guest voting is enabled in settings
  • Verify the user has a public IP address
  • Private/local IPs (localhost, 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x) are not allowed
  • Check reverse proxy configuration for X-Forwarded-For header

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Too many pending registrations

  • Consider enabling auto-approval for trusted communities
  • Set aside dedicated time for batch approvals
  • Enable CAPTCHA to reduce bot registrations
  • Review registration requirements

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Managing Registration Settings

Control when and how voters can register.

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Disabling Voter Registration

Temporarily close registrations:
1

Go to Settings

Navigate to /admin/management.
2

Disable Signup

Toggle “Signup Enabled” to off.
3

Save Settings

Voters can no longer register new accounts.
Use this when:
  • Registration deadline has passed
  • Between election cycles
  • During maintenance
  • When voter list is finalized

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Disabling Voter Login

Temporarily prevent voter login:
1

Access Settings

Go to /admin/management.
2

Disable Login

Toggle “Login Enabled” to off.
3

Save Settings

Voters cannot log in (existing sessions may remain active).
Use this when:
  • Performing system maintenance
  • Before major updates
  • During emergency situations
Disabling login prevents all voters from accessing the system, including those who want to vote in active elections. Use carefully.

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Voter Account Lifecycle

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New Registration

  1. Voter completes registration form
  2. Account created with PENDING status
  3. Appears in admin pending list
  4. Admin reviews and approves/rejects

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Active Voter

  1. Status set to APPROVED
  2. Can log in and access dashboard
  3. Can vote in active elections
  4. Receives vote confirmations

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Account Deletion

  1. Voter requests account deletion from profile
  2. Must confirm with password
  3. Account and personal data deleted
  4. Voter removed from system
  5. Cannot be recovered

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