A Dot Voting Alternative That Ranks Every Option
Dot voting gives everyone a few sticky dots and counts where they land. It is quick, and it often leaves ties at the top and no order below them. TeamSort is the online alternative: everyone drags the whole list into order once, and a Borda count turns those rankings into one complete result. No dots, no whiteboard, no signup.
Frequently asked questions
What is dot voting?
A quick group prioritization method. Each participant gets a fixed number of dots (stickers on a wall, or digital dots on a whiteboard) and places them on the options they like most, sometimes stacking several on one option. The options with the most dots win. It is also called multivoting, sticky dot voting or dotmocracy.
How many dots should each person get?
A common rule of thumb is about a third of the number of options: 3 or 4 dots for 10 options, 7 for 20. Fewer dots means most options get no votes at all; more dots means everyone votes for nearly everything. Ranking avoids the choice: every voter places every option.
Is dot voting the same as multivoting?
Dot voting is the sticker version of multivoting. In multivoting each person gets several votes, and a long list is often narrowed in rounds: drop the options with the fewest votes, then vote again on the rest. Both end in a shortlist rather than an order. A Borda count over full rankings is the one-round alternative: it scores every option from every ballot.
What are the problems with dot voting?
Three common ones. On a shared wall or board, people see where the dots are going before they vote, so early favorites attract more dots. With only a few dots each, most options get no signal at all. And counts tie often, with no order below the top few. Dot voting is still a fast way to cut a very long list down to a shortlist.
Can TeamSort do dot voting?
No. TeamSort has no dots: every voter drags the whole list into order, and a Borda count (or Condorcet or instant runoff, set per poll) combines the rankings. For a wall of 40 sticky notes, a common pattern is to dot vote in the room to cut the list to about ten, then rank the shortlist in TeamSort to get the order.
Is TeamSort free?
Yes. A free poll needs no signup and takes up to 10 voters. It closes after 24 hours and its results lock, so download or copy the results as an image before then. Pro keeps polls open until you close them or until a date you pick, lifts the voter limit, and keeps the results.