Setting up Email Login for voting

Max plan Last reviewed October 29, 2026

Email Login makes each voter confirm their email address with a 6-digit code before their vote counts. Turn it on in the Entry Display Widget's voting restrictions, then create the email that sends the code. By default voters re-verify every 30 days; verifying every time needs your own SendGrid account.

To	Do this
Make sure every vote comes from a real email address	Turn on Email Login and create the code email.
Change what voters see when they're asked for their email or code	Edit the prompt text.
Choose how often voters confirm their email	Set the verification frequency.
Fix codes that don't arrive or don't work	See If something goes wrong.

Before you start

Email Login needs the Max plan.
It's the most secure way to restrict votes, but it takes more setup than Anonymous Fingerprint. A vote only counts once the voter enters the code sent to their inbox.
It doesn't collect email addresses for promotional use. It only verifies the voter. To collect voter details, see How to collect voter data.
Voters get no code until setup is finished. A red Configure Email Login button means setup isn't complete.
The code email sends with a Company Profile. If that profile has your SendGrid API key, the codes send through your SendGrid account, and its sending limits and verified senders apply. See Setting up and connecting SendGrid.

From Campaign Settings: In the Campaign Builder, click the gear icon at the top, then Email Login in the left menu.
From the Entry Display Widget: Open the widget's settings and make sure voting is on under Voting. In Restrictions, choose Email address in Restrict votes by, then click the red Configure Email Login button.

Create the code email

In the Verification code email campaign section, click Select....
In the pop-up, click New Email, choose a Company Profile and click Continue.
To use the Email Verification Template, hover over its preview and click Use This Template. Or click Continue to start with a blank email. This template is only available here, not in the Email Builder.
Make sure the email includes the {{entry.code}} merge field, which inserts each voter's code. The template already has it.
Enter the Name, Subject, From Name and From Email Address, then click Continue.
Check your settings. Green checkmarks mean a field is complete, and a ! icon marks one that still needs attention.
Click Save & Activate, then I'm Done to leave the Email Wizard.

Change the text voters see

Two sections in the Email Login settings control the text voters see. Each has a Prompt Preview on the right that updates as you type.

Prompt	What you can change
Prompt for email address	The field label (default: Email Address). The instructions under the field (default: "Enter your email address and we'll send you a 6-digit verification code. It can take a minute to arrive — please check your spam folder if you don't see it."). The button text (default: Send Code). The error shown when the email address isn't valid.
Prompt for verification code	The field label (default: Verification Code (valid for 15 minutes)). The button text (default: Verify Code). The error shown for an incorrect or expired code. The error shown after too many incorrect attempts.

Choose how often voters verify

The Verification frequency section asks "How often should visitors verify their email address?" and offers Always verify or Verify every __. It controls how long a verified voter can keep voting before they have to verify again.

Verify every 30 days is the default for campaigns that send codes through ShortStack. This applies to live campaigns too.
Any interval longer than 30 days is available on every campaign.
Always verify, or an interval shorter than 30 days, requires your own SendGrid account connected to ShortStack. See Setting up and connecting SendGrid. If your setup doesn't allow the option you pick, the builder shows a warning.

Each code is 6 digits, expires 15 minutes after it's sent, and works only once.

Finish and publish

Go back to the Email Login settings in the Campaign Builder.
Check that your new email's name appears in the Verification code email campaign section, instead of "No email campaign has been selected".
Click Save & Exit, then Publish Changes.

If something goes wrong

What you see	What to do
No voter gets a code, and Configure Email Login is still red	Setup isn't finished, so no code email is sent. Finish the steps above and publish your changes.
Codes stopped arriving for everyone, and your Company Profile uses your SendGrid key	Your SendGrid account may have run out of credits, or the code email's From Email Address isn't verified in SendGrid. This includes ShortStack no-reply addresses. Fix your SendGrid account or From address, or remove the key from the Company Profile. See Setting up and connecting SendGrid.
One voter didn't get the code	Ask them to check their spam or junk folder. When you test, try a second address, such as a personal one, to see whether the problem is one inbox or every inbox.
Hotmail, Outlook or company addresses don't get the code	The voter's mail provider is blocking it. For a business address, the voter can ask their IT team to add your code email's From Email Address as a safe sender. Otherwise, they can use a different email address.
The code doesn't work	It may have expired (codes last 15 minutes), been used already, or been replaced by a newer code. The voter should request a new code and enter the most recent one.
The voter can't try another code	After too many incorrect attempts, the voter has to wait 5 minutes before trying again.

FAQs

How long is a verification code valid?

15 minutes. Each code is 6 digits and works only once. If a voter asks for another code, only the most recent one works.

What happens after too many incorrect codes?

The voter has to wait 5 minutes before they can try again.

Do voters have to verify every time they vote?

Not by default. Voters verify once every 30 days unless you change the Verification frequency. Choosing Always verify requires your own SendGrid account connected to ShortStack.

Can I export the email addresses people used to vote?

No. Email Login only verifies voters; it does not collect their addresses for you, and data privacy laws prevent us from exporting them without the voter's consent. Support can export anonymized IP addresses for votes. If you want voters' details, ask for them in a form — see How to collect voter data.

What happens to Email Login if my plan changes?

Email Login is a Max plan feature. If your account moves to a plan below Max, for example when a VIP trial ends and you choose Build, Email Login stops working on your campaigns. Upgrade to Max, or switch the widget's Restrict by setting to anonymous fingerprint and publish your changes. See Why can't people vote?

Can I use Email Login for entries as well as votes?

Yes. For entries, add a Login Field to your form and restrict entries by login. See Entry restrictions.

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