Help CenterThis guide explains the different permission roles available in Vottiv and what each role can and cannot access. Use this to understand which role to assign to team members based on their responsibilities.
Overview
Vottiv uses a role-based permission system to control what team members can access and do within your organization. Each team member is assigned one permission role that determines their level of access.
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Organization Admin
Full access to your organization
Organization Admins have complete control over all features and resources in your organization.
✅ What Organization Admins CAN do:
- All Features: Access to every feature in the platform
- Dashboard: View organization dashboard and analytics
- Groups: Create, edit, view, and delete voter groups
- Voter Lookup: Search for and view voter information
- Data Management: Download voter data and export information
- Canvassing:
- Create and manage canvasses
- Assign routes to canvassers
- View canvass results and analytics
- Participate in canvassing activities
- SMS/Text Messaging:
- Create and schedule text message campaigns
- Send text messages
- View text message history and analytics
- Phone Calls:
- Create phone call campaigns
- Make phone calls
- View call history and analytics
- Direct Mail: Create and send direct mail campaigns
- Surveys: Create surveys and view survey data
- Tags: Create and view tags
- Team Management: Invite and manage team members and their permissions
❌ What Organization Admins CANNOT do:
- Nothing - this role has full access to all features
Best for: Campaign managers, organization leaders, or anyone who needs complete control over all campaign activities.
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Consultant
Full access to all organization resources, including creating and editing them
The Consultant role is functionally identical to Organization Admin and provides complete access to all features and resources. This role is assigned automatically when your Vottiv account is added to a consultant's Vottiv account.
✅ What Consultants CAN do:
- Same capabilities as Organization Admin
- Full access to all features and resources
- Can create, edit, view, and manage all organization data
❌ What Consultants CANNOT do:
- Nothing - this role has full access to all features
Best for: External consultants or advisors who need full access to help manage campaigns.
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Call, Text, Canvass (Full Participant)
Can participate in calling, texting, and canvassing but cannot create new groups, texts, canvasses, or calls
This role is designed for volunteers and team members who will actively participate in outreach activities but don't need to manage campaigns.
✅ What Full Participants CAN do:
- Dashboard: View organization dashboard
- Canvassing: Participate in canvassing activities using the mobile app
- SMS/Text Messaging: Send text messages from existing texts you've prepared
- Phone Calls: Place phone calls from existing calls you've prepared
❌ What Full Participants CANNOT do:
- Groups: Cannot access group builder or create voter groups
- Voter Lookup: Cannot search for individual voters
- Data Downloads: Cannot download voter data
- Campaign Creation: Cannot create new canvasses, text campaigns, call campaigns, or direct mail
- Surveys: Cannot create surveys or view survey data
- Tags: Cannot create or view tags
- Team Management: Cannot invite or manage team members
Best for: Volunteers, field staff, or phone bankers who need to participate in outreach but don't need administrative access.
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Canvasser Only
Can participate only in canvassing activities
This highly focused role restricts access to only canvassing features.
✅ What Canvassers CAN do:
- Dashboard: View organization dashboard
- Canvassing:
- Participate in canvassing activities
- View assigned routes
- Submit canvass responses
❌ What Canvassers CANNOT do:
- Groups: Cannot access groups
- Voter Lookup: Cannot search for voters
- SMS/Text Messaging: Cannot view or participate in texting
- Phone Calls: Cannot view or participate in calling
- Direct Mail: Cannot access mail features
- Surveys: Cannot create or view surveys
- Tags: Cannot create or view tags
- Campaign Creation: Cannot create any campaigns
- Team Management: Cannot manage team members
Best for: Door-to-door canvassers who only need access to their assigned routes and should not have access to other campaign activities.
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Groups and Lookup
Can access Groups and Voter Lookup features
This role provides access to research and data analysis tools without allowing participation in outreach activities.
✅ What Groups and Lookup users CAN do:
- Dashboard: View organization dashboard
- Groups: Create, edit, view, and manage voter groups using the group builder
- Voter Lookup: Search for and view individual voter information
❌ What Groups and Lookup users CANNOT do:
- Canvassing: Cannot participate in or view canvassing
- SMS/Text Messaging: Cannot view or participate in texting
- Phone Calls: Cannot view or participate in calling
- Direct Mail: Cannot access mail features
- Data Downloads: Cannot download voter data (limited to viewing only)
- Campaign Creation: Cannot create any campaigns
- Surveys: Cannot create or view surveys
- Team Management: Cannot manage team members
Best for: Data analysts, researchers, or campaign strategists who need to build voter groups and research voters but won't participate in direct outreach.
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Voter Lookup Only
Can only access the Voter Lookup feature
The most restricted role, providing access only to voter search functionality.
✅ What Voter Lookup Only users CAN do:
- Voter Lookup: Search for and view individual voter information
❌ What Voter Lookup Only users CANNOT do:
A user with this role cannot do anything else, including accessing canvassing.
Best for: Staff members who occasionally need to look up voter information but don't need access to any other features.
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## Permission Hierarchy
From most access to least access:
1. **Organization Admin / Consultant** - Full access
2. **Organization Viewer** - Read-only access to everything
3. **Groups and Lookup** - Research and data tools only
4. **Call, Text, Canvass** - Participation in outreach activities
5. **Canvasser Only** - Canvassing participation only
6. **Voter Lookup Only** - Voter search only
7. **Blocked** - No access
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## Choosing the Right Role
### Questions to ask when assigning roles:
1. **Does this person need to create or manage campaigns?**
- Yes → Organization Admin or Consultant
- No → Continue to next question
2. **Does this person need to view all campaign data without making changes?**
- Yes → Organization Viewer
- No → Continue to next question
3. **Does this person need to participate in outreach activities?**
- Yes, all activities (calling, texting, canvassing) → Call, Text, Canvass
- Yes, canvassing only → Canvasser Only
- No → Continue to next question
4. **Does this person need to build voter groups and research voters?**
- Yes → Groups and Lookup
- No → Continue to next question
5. **Does this person only need to look up individual voters occasionally?**
- Yes → Voter Lookup Only
- No → Consider if they need access at all
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Best Practices
Security Recommendations
1. Principle of Least Privilege: Assign the minimum permission level needed for each team member to do their job
2. Regular Audits: Periodically review team member permissions and update as roles change
3. Remove Access Promptly: Remove team members when they leave
4. Protect Admin Access: Limit Organization Admin access to trusted campaign managers only
Common Role Assignments
- Campaign Manager: Organization Admin
- Campaign Consultant: Consultant
- Data Analyst: Groups and Lookup
- Volunteer Coordinator: Organization Admin or Call, Text, Canvass (depending on responsibilities)
- Phone Bank Volunteer: Call, Text, Canvass
- Door-to-Door Canvasser: Canvasser Only
- Office Staff: Voter Lookup Only or Groups and Lookup
- Former Staff: Removed (no access)
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How to Change User Permissions
Organization Admins and Consultants can change team member permissions at any time:
1. Navigate to the Your Team page from the sidebar
2. Find the team member whose permissions you want to change
3. Click on their current role
4. Select the new role from the dropdown menu
5. Confirm the change
Changes take effect immediately. The team member will need to refresh their browser to see updated navigation and features.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can a user have multiple roles?
No. Each user can only have one permission role per organization. Choose the role that best fits their primary responsibilities.
Can users have different roles in different organizations?
Yes. If a user is a member of multiple organizations (for example, a consultant working with several campaigns), they can have different permission roles in each organization.
What happens if I change someone's role?
The change takes effect immediately. Features they previously had access to may become unavailable, and new features may become available depending on the new role. They will need to refresh their browser to see updated navigation.
Can users see what role they have?
Yes. Users can see their current role and what features they have access to from their account dashboard.
What if someone needs custom permissions?
The system currently doesn't support custom permissions. Choose the role that most closely matches their needs. If none of the roles fit well, consider using Organization Admin for full access or contact support for guidance.
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Need Help?
If you have questions about which permission role to assign to a team member or need help managing your team, please contact Vottiv support at support@vottiv.com.