How to Make a Poll and Use the Voting Buttons in Outlook

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Set up, vote in, and view the results of an Outlook poll

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: May 31, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Creating a Poll
|
• Voting on a Poll
|
• Reviewing Poll Results
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

This wikiHow teaches you how to add voting buttons to an outgoing email message using Microsoft Outlook on your PC.

Using the Outlook Voting Buttons

Click New Mail > Options > Use Voting Buttons. Then, select the type of poll you want and send your email. To vote in a poll, open the email and click Message > Vote. Then, select your response. To view your poll results, open the message and click Message > Tracking.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating a Poll

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1. 
   1
   Open Outlook. Click the Start menu, click All Apps, select Microsoft Office, and then click Microsoft Outlook.
2. 
   2
   Click New Email. It’s at the top-left corner of Outlook. You can also add a button to message you’re forwarding.

   • To forward a message, click the message, then click Forward.
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3. 
   3
   Click the Options menu. It’s at the top of the window, toward the left.
4. 
   4
   Click Use Voting Buttons. A drop-down menu will appear.
5. 
   5
   Select a voting button style. Once you make your selection, a message will appear that says “You Have Added Voting Buttons to This Message.” Here’s what the different options do:

   • Approve;Reject: Use when you need authorization for something.
   • Yes;No: This is a great way to do a fast poll.
   • Yes;No;Maybe: Adds an additional response to the Yes and No poll.
   • Custom: Gives you the option to customize your own poll options, such as time and date options. If you choose this option, check the box beside “Use voting buttons” under “Voting and Tracking options,” create your button text, then click Close.
6. 
   6
   Enter your desired recipients. Type the email address(s) into the To: and CC: fields as needed.
7. 
   7
   Add a subject and message. Use the message and/or subject boxes to describe the details of the poll.
8. 
   8
   Click Send. It’s at the top-left corner of the message.

   • When the message is delivered to the recipients, they can click Click here to vote to access the buttons, and then cast their votes. Responses will be delivered to your inbox.
   • You can view all responses in a table. To do so, open one of the response messages, click The sender responded in the message header, and then click View voting responses.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Voting on a Poll

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1. 
   1
   Open Outlook. Click the Start menu, click All Apps, select Microsoft Office, and then click Microsoft Outlook.
2. 
   2
   Double-click the message that contains the poll. This opens the message in its own window.

   • If you’re viewing the message in the reading pane, click Click here to vote in the message’s header, and then skip to the last step.
3. 
   3
   Click the Message tab. It’s at the top of the window.
4. 
   4
   Click Vote. It’s under the “Respond” header.
5. 
   5
   Click the option you want. This will add your vote to the results of the poll.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Reviewing Poll Results

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1. 
   1
   Open Outlook. Click the Start menu, click All Apps, select Microsoft Office, and then click Microsoft Outlook.

   • Use this method after you’ve created a poll and want to view the results.
2. 
   2
   Click the Sent Items folder. It’s in the left panel.
3. 
   3
   Click the message that contains the poll. This opens the message in the reading pane.
4. 
   4
   Click the Message tab. It’s at the top of the window.
5. 
   5
   Click Tracking. It’s under the “Show” header. The results of the poll now appear in a table inside the window.

   • You won’t see the Tracking button until at least one of the recipients casts a vote.
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