# Book Club Voting Apps

A book club voting app is a ballot: members see a shortlist and pick without a thirty-message pile-on. StrawPoll, RankedVote, Google Forms, Discord polls and even a reaction vote in chat all work. House of a Reader does not include a ranked ballot — the founder sets the shared read after the group decides. Use a poll for the decision, then put the winner on the door. The quality of the shortlist matters more than the software; a ballot of ten 900-page books is how everyone resents the winner.

*Last reviewed 2026-08-29. Part of [Book Club Apps and Tools](https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs/tools).*

## How to vote so the club still likes each other

Shortlist three to five titles that are actually available this month. Attach length, series status, spice and darkness. Use approval voting (vote for every book you would accept) or ranked choice. First-past-the-post on a long list produces a winner a third of the room hates.

Set a deadline measured in hours, not a week. Close it, honour it, set the book the same day. A poll that stays open until consensus feels magical is a stall.

## Places to run the ballot

None of these need to be the club's home. They are a form. The club still needs a room.

- **Discord polls or emoji reactions** — https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs/discord
  Zero extra accounts if you already live there. Weak anonymity, weak ranked choice, easy to brigades if the server is huge.
- **Google Forms or a simple poll site**
  StrawPoll, RankedVote, Microsoft Forms. Ranked and approval options exist. Share a link in the circle chat. Then set the shared read in the House.
- **A thread in the circle** — https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs/choose-next-book
  Each member names one title they would read. Founder builds a shortlist of the repeats. Not a formal ballot; often faster and kinder for groups of five.
- **House of a Reader**
  No ballot feature. On purpose: the app runs the club, not the election. Discuss, vote elsewhere if you need a tally, founder sets the current book so the door is true.

## Questions people ask

**What app lets book club members vote on books?**

Any poll: Discord, Google Forms, StrawPoll, ranked-choice sites. House of a Reader does not. Take the winner and set it as the circle's shared read so the club and the vote agree.

**What is the fairest way to vote on the next book?**

A shortlist of three to five, then approval voting or ranked choice, with a same-day close. Rotation (each person picks in turn) is fairer still if your group can stomach each other's taste.

**Should the founder override a vote?**

Only for a stated reason in the creed — content the club cannot host, a book nobody can get, a series that would strand new members. Overriding because they preferred the runner-up is how you stop getting honest votes.

## Related guides

- [How Book Clubs Choose Their Next Book](https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs/choose-next-book)
- [How to Organise a Book Club](https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs/organize)
- [Book Clubs That Meet on Discord](https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs/discord)
- [The Best App for Running a Book Club](https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs/running-app)


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House of a Reader is a free home for public and private book clubs.
Start a circle or join one: https://houseofareader.com/begin
The full cluster: https://houseofareader.com/lessons/book-clubs