--- title: "Let people add their own options to a Slack poll" url: "https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-let-people-add-options-to-a-slack-poll/" description: "Open a Slack poll so voters can add options you missed, or start with no options and crowdsource them. With /poll, in the form, or on a poll already posted." --- # 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. ## Steps 1. **Write the poll with the options you have** `/poll "What should we cover at the next team meeting?" "Q3 roadmap" "Hiring plan"` 2. **Add allow-options** Add `allow-options` after the last option. In the poll form, tick **Allow others to add options** under **Settings** instead. 3. **Or start with no options at all** Leave the options out and voters fill the poll themselves: `/poll "Which shows are people watching?" allow-options`. 4. **Post it** Check the preview and click **Create Poll**. The poll shows an **Add option** button, and new options appear for everyone to vote on. ## Example polls Paste any of these into the message box in Slack. ```text /poll "What should we cover at the next team meeting?" "Q3 roadmap" "Hiring plan" allow-options order-results-by-votes ``` Two starter topics, room for more, most popular first. Free. *Free.* ```text /poll "Name the new platform team" allow-options ``` An empty poll people fill with suggestions. Free. *Free.* ```text /poll "Which book should the book club read next?" "The Mom Test" "Shape Up" allow-options limit 1 close after 3 days ``` Suggestions welcome, one vote each, decided in three days (Premium). *Premium: vote limits, closing automatically.* ## When to open the poll up - **You might have missed an option.** Add a couple of your own and let people fill the gaps. This is the safest default for any poll about places, tools or topics. - **The ideas are the point.** Agenda topics, team names, book club picks, things to stop doing. Start empty or with one example to show the kind of answer you want. - **You want buy-in.** People back a choice they had a hand in proposing. Keep it closed for yes or no decisions and for anything where the options are fixed, such as dates the venue has available. ## Keep the list usable Open polls can sprawl. Say what a good option looks like in the question ("one topic per option, under ten words"), and add `order-results-by-votes` so the popular options float to the top. If you'll pick one winner, add `limit 1` (Premium). As the creator, you can delete options that are duplicates or off-topic: open the poll from its green **Open** button, choose **Poll settings**, then **Edit** (Premium). Deleting an option deletes its votes too. ## Collect, then decide For bigger decisions, run two rounds. First an open poll with `allow-options` to gather ideas. Then take the top four or five into a fresh poll with `limit 1` or a [ranked choice poll](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-ranked-choice-poll-in-slack/), so people choose from a clean list. ## Turn it on for a poll already posted If you forgot, edit the poll (Premium): click its green **Open** button, then **Poll settings**, then **Edit**, and tick **Allow options from others**. The **Add option** button appears on the posted poll. ## FAQ ### Is adding options free? Yes. `allow-options` works on every plan. ### Can I allow added options in a survey? No. Questions in a multi-question survey can't take options from others. ### Can I remove an option someone added? Yes, as the poll's creator, by editing the poll (Premium). Its votes are deleted with it. ### What if I post a poll with no options? Simple Poll treats it as an open poll, and voters add the options. ## Related - [How to create a poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/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 limit votes in a Slack poll](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-limit-votes-in-a-slack-poll/): By default, a Simple Poll lets each person pick as many options as they like. That's right for "which days can you make?" and wrong for "which date should we pick?". A vote limit caps how many options each person can choose: limit 1 for single choice, limit 2 or more for "pick your top two". Vote limits are a Premium feature. - [How to create a ranked choice poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-ranked-choice-poll-in-slack/): In a ranked choice poll, each person puts the options in order of preference instead of picking one. Simple Poll counts the result with instant-runoff voting, so the winner is the option with the broadest support, not just the most first choices. Ranked polls work on every plan. - [Meeting agenda topics poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/meeting-agenda-topics/): A day or two before a team meeting, planning session or one-to-one series, so the agenda reflects what people need to discuss rather than what the organiser remembered. - [Project name poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/project-name/): When a project, team, channel or internal tool needs a name and you want ideas from more people than the ones in the room. - [Book club pick poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/book-club-pick/): When your book club needs to choose its next read and wants everyone to have a say, not just the person who always suggests first. ## Sources - [Can others add options to my poll?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/53-can-others-add-options-to-my-poll) - [Can I create a poll that starts with no options?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/92-can-i-create-a-poll-that-starts-with-no-options) - [Can I delete an option on a poll?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/91-can-i-delete-an-option-on-a-poll) - [How do I edit a poll?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/46-how-do-i-edit-a-poll) --- Simple Poll is the #1 polls and surveys app for Slack. 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