vote.direct

Draft an election

create_election_draft

Create a DRAFT election in the connected account: the ballot, schedule, verification, secrecy, results visibility, optional quorum and state-law checks, and optionally the voter list (emails). A draft charges nothing and contacts nobody. Returns the draft's id, the draft as saved, what still blocks publishing, the exact price, and the finish link where the person reviews, pays if needed, and publishes. Create it once and change it with update_election_draft: an account can create 10 elections an hour. Ask the person for anything you do not know (closing date and time zone, seats, candidates) rather than guessing: this is a binding vote.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "title": "<title>",
      "questions": "<questions>",
      "timezone": "<timezone>"
    },
    "name": "create_election_draft"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`state`	No	Two-letter US state code of the association (e.g. CA). Turns on that state's election-law checks before publishing.
`title`	Yes	Election title voters see, e.g. "2026 Board of Directors Election".
`quorum`	No	Optional quorum: {type: "percentage" \| "count", threshold}. E.g. {type: "percentage", threshold: 25} means a quarter of eligible voters must vote.
`voters`	No	The eligible voters (the roster), one per owner/member. Email addresses only; people reached by text or mail are added by the organizer on the election page.
`results`	No	after_close (default): voters see results once voting closes. live: running totals while voting is open. owner_only: only the organizer sees results.
`opens_at`	No	When voting opens, ISO 8601 with offset. Omit to open when published.
`timezone`	Yes	IANA timezone of the association, e.g. America/Denver. Voters see times in it.
`closes_at`	No	When voting closes, ISO 8601 with offset, e.g. 2026-11-12T17:00:00-07:00. Must be in the future. Leave it out when nobody said: voting then closes at 5pm in `timezone` seven days from today, and the result says the exact time so it can be relayed and changed.
`questions`	Yes	The ballot, in order.
`vote_type`	No	What the vote decides, for the state-law checks.
`description`	No	Optional instructions or background shown above the ballot. Plain text.
`verification`	No	email: every voter confirms a code sent to their email (included free). email_or_sms: voters may also confirm by text message (paid elections only; elections of 25 voters or fewer are email-only).
`secret_ballot`	No	Keep who voted for what private from the organizer. Defaults to true.
`community_type`	No	hoa or condo, when the state rules differ between them.
`organization_name`	No	Association name shown to voters and used as the email sender name. Defaults to the account's organization.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 19, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / closes_at / description

Previous value: -"When voting closes, ISO 8601 with offset, e.g. 2026-11-12T17:00:00-07:00. Must be in the future."New value: +"When voting closes, ISO 8601 with offset, e.g. 2026-11-12T17:00:00-07:00. Must be in the future. Leave it out when nobody said: voting then closes at 5pm in `timezone` seven days from today, and the result says the exact time so it can be relayed and changed."

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "title",
-  "questions",
-  "closes_at",
-  "timezone"
-]New value: +[
+  "title",
+  "questions",
+  "timezone"
+]

Changed1 schema field changedOct 8, 2026
- changedInput schema / properties / voters / maxItems
```
Previous value: -2000New value: +5000
```
AddedSep 30, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations declare non-read-only, non-destructive, non-idempotent, closed-world, but the description adds substantial behavior beyond them: drafts 'charge nothing and contact nobody', it returns the draft id, what still blocks publishing, the exact price, and the finish link, and there is a 10-per-hour account cap. The 'ask rather than guess' warning also flags correctness stakes.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loads what is created, then what the call costs in side effects, then the return contract, then operational guidance. It is long but each sentence carries operational value (cost, safety, return shape, rate limit); slightly dense for a single paragraph.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 15-parameter mutation tool with no output schema, the description covers side effects (no charge, no contact), the return payload (id, saved draft, blockers, price, finish link), the follow-up path (review/pay/publish via link), and the change path (update_election_draft). Nothing essential is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, with every parameter, enum, and nested field (quorum, questions, voters) individually documented, so the schema carries the load. The description's enumeration of covered topics ('quorum', 'voter list (emails)', 'verification', 'secrecy') mostly restates the parameter set without adding format or constraint detail.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Create a DRAFT election') and enumerates the scope the call governs: ballot, schedule, verification, secrecy, results visibility, quorum, state-law checks, voter list. This is clearly distinguishable from siblings like start_election_draft, create_survey, and publish_election.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives explicit lifecycle guidance ('Create it once and change it with update_election_draft') plus a rate limit (10 elections/hour) and an anti-guessing instruction for missing data (closing date, timezone, seats, candidates) on the grounds that it is a binding vote. It never explicitly contrasts itself with start_election_draft, which is the one sibling that could be confused with it.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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