Frequently Asked Questions

FlashVote is a third-party service that helps cities like De Soto gather scientifically valid feedback from residents quickly and conveniently.  FlashVote sends surveys to residents who have signed up to participate in the service.

Both City staff and elected officials are committed to using resident feedback to guide the decision-making process. De Soto is undergoing significant change now so it’s more important than ever that residents be heard.

No. The surveys will just start a conversation with residents and offer City leaders a high-level view of residents’ opinions. 

Projects won’t be decided upon based on survey results. The results will, however, offer important insight for leaders as they gather information and data before making decisions. 

FlashVote is anonymous, however, the aggregate results are available for everyone to see. In other words, no one will know how you voted, but everyone will see how the group voted.

No. FlashVote only allows each user to vote once per survey question.

You provide demographic information when you sign up and answer survey questions. If a certain demographic is not adequately represented, targeted outreach can be done as a follow up.

A scientific survey, like FlashVote, allows the City to get input from a range of residents who may or may not be familiar with a topic. This ensures the feedback is reflective of the community as a whole. 

Here’s an example: 

If a City wanted feedback about whether or not to invest in bike lanes, leaders could hold an open forum and send out a scientific survey – and get vastly different responses. An open forum might attract polar opposites – passionate bikers and residents who absolutely hate bike lanes. A survey like FlashVote will get input from everyone. 

Yes, to get an accurate representation of the demographics in De Soto, surveys are offered in both English and Spanish.

Yes. Sign up here.

Yes, we’ll share the results of all surveys on our website here. 

We’ll also share them on social media and in our e-newsletter. (Do you receive the City’s bi-weekly e-newsletter? If not, sign up here to stay in the loop on all news related to De Soto.)

If you’d like more information about FlashVote, you can visit their website.