Example polls
Paste any of these into the message box in Slack.
Choice poll. Pick up to two, to force a little prioritisation.
/poll "Which topics should the next lunch-and-learn cover? Pick two." "Testing" "Observability" "Accessibility" "Security basics" "Career growth" limit 2
Premium: vote limits
Limit votes: 2 per person
Choice poll. Pick any, and add your own.
/poll "Which snacks should we restock?" "Fruit" "Granola bars" "Crisps" allow-options
Free
Allow options
Choice poll. Pick one, closing after a day.
/poll "Which day should the offsite be?" "Thursday" "Friday" limit 1 close after 1 day
Premium: vote limits, closing automatically
Limit votes: 1 per personClose automatically: after 1 day
Pick one or pick many
- Pick one (single-choice): for exclusive answers and decisions. Votes equal voters.
- Pick any (approval voting): for finding overlap, like times that work or topics people want.
- Pick up to N: for prioritising. "Pick your top two" forces trade-offs without the effort of ranking everything.
In Slack with Simple Poll
A choice poll is the default type. Put the question and each option in double quotes:
/poll "Question" "Option 1" "Option 2". Voters can pick any number of options unless
you add limit 1 or limit 2 and so on (Premium).
The Free plan allows up to 5 options; Premium allows up to 45. Add allow-options to let
voters add their own, and order-results-by-votes to list options by votes instead of
your order. In a survey, a choice question is either single-choice (limit 1) or
unlimited.
Writing the options
Short, parallel, non-overlapping. If the list might be incomplete, add allow-options
rather than a vague "Other". If you need people's order of preference, not just their
picks, use a ranked poll.
Questions
Can voters choose more than one option in a Slack poll?
Yes, by default. Simple Poll choice polls allow any number of picks until you add limit.
How many options can a poll have?
Up to 5 on the Free plan and up to 45 on Premium.
Related
- What is a single-choice poll?
A single-choice poll lets each voter pick exactly one option. The result shows how a group splits when everyone has to commit to a single answer.
- What is approval voting?
Approval voting lets each voter pick every option they find acceptable, as many as they like. The option with the most approvals wins.
- How to create a poll in Slack
Slack has no poll button of its own. Its help centre suggests two routes: install a polling app, or post a message and ask people to vote with emoji reactions. This guide covers the app route with Simple Poll, used by 945,000+ teams, because it gives you a real poll: counted votes, anonymous voting, one-vote limits and a clean result.
- How to let people add options to a Slack poll
Sometimes you don't know all the options yet: the best venue, a name for the new team, the topic everyone actually wants. Turn on adding options and voters get an Add option button. Anything they add becomes an option everyone can vote on. It's free on every plan.