> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ahaslides.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Anonymous polls and participation
> Run a Poll without collecting names, and learn what identifies a participant and what you can still see in reports and Excel exports.
A Poll slide doesn't ask participants for their name, so by default your audience votes without telling you who they are. Anonymity in AhaSlides depends on what you ask participants to do during the session, not on the Poll slide itself, and this page explains what keeps a vote nameless and what links it to a name.
## Anonymity at a glance
| | |
| - | - |
| Poll slide | Never asks for a name, and has no anonymity setting of its own |
| On screen | Everyone sees the combined result only, as a chart or percentages, never who voted for what |
| What identifies someone | Joining through the audience info form, any quiz (scored) slide, or a Spinner Wheel with autofilled names |
| Reports and Excel | A vote is stored under a participant ID, so it shows a name only if that participant gave one |
## Run a Poll without collecting names
Use [Poll](/using-slide-types/creating-a-poll-question-on-ahaslides) and other unscored slides such as Word Cloud, Rating Scale or Ranking. These don't ask participants for a name.
Don't turn on **Ask participants for info before they join** in **Collect audience info**. See [Collecting audience information](/features-and-functions/collecting-audience-information).
A quiz (scored) slide asks everyone for a name when you reach it. Put quizzes in a separate presentation if you want this one to stay nameless.
Results appear on your screen as a chart. Participants only see the vote counts on their phones if you tick **Show on audience's devices** in the Poll slide's **Display results** section.
## What links a vote to a name
Each participant who joins gets a random participant ID, and their votes are stored under it. The ID on its own doesn't tell you who someone is. A name is only attached when the participant gives one, and these are the ways that happens:
| Trigger | What happens |
| - | - |
| Audience info form | If you turn on **Ask participants for info before they join**, participants fill in the fields you chose (name, email, avatar and custom fields) before they join. See [Collecting audience information](/features-and-functions/collecting-audience-information). |
| Quiz (scored) slides | Participants are prompted for a name when they reach their first quiz slide, and AhaSlides keeps it for the rest of the session. See [Asking participants for their names](/features-and-functions/asking-participants-for-their-names). |
| Spinner Wheel with autofill | When a Spinner Wheel slide has participant names autofilled, participants who haven't given a name are asked for one. See [Using the Spinner Wheel](/using-slide-types/using-the-spinner-wheel). |
| Sign-in required | If you turn on [participant verification](/features-and-functions/participant-verification), participants sign in before they can join. |
Once a participant gives a name, it is linked to their earlier votes as well as their later ones, because every answer is stored under the same participant ID. A participant who votes in a Poll and later answers a quiz slide can therefore be matched to that earlier vote in your reports.
## What you can see in your reports
* **Presenter screen:** the Poll result is a combined chart. It never lists who voted for which option.
* **Individual participant report:** each participant has their own page showing the answers they gave, including their Poll votes. A participant who never gave a name appears as **(Anonymous)**, and you can still see their answers. See [Your AhaSlides presentation report](/after-the-presentation/your-ahaslides-presentation-report).
* **Excel export:** the **Opinion Answers** sheet lists every Poll vote on its own row with the **Participant Id** and **Participant Name** columns beside it. See [Export data to Excel](/after-the-presentation/export-data-to-excel).
So a Poll is anonymous to your audience, and to you when nobody gave a name. If you need to be able to tell a participant that their answers can never be traced back to them, don't rely on the Poll slide alone, because the answers are stored per participant.
## Anonymity on other slide types
| Slide | Anonymity |
| - | - |
| Q\&A | Turn on **Allow anonymous questions** so participants can ask without entering a name. The name field still appears but is optional. See [Using Q\&A](/using-slide-types/using-qa). |
| Survey | Responses are anonymous by default. They are only tied to an identity if you turn on **Require sign-in**. See [Using the Surveys tool](/using-slide-types/using-the-surveys-tool). |
| Word Cloud, Rating Scale and Ranking | No name prompt. The audience and presenter see combined results. |
| Open Ended and Brainstorm | No name prompt unless you add **Collect audience info** to the slide. |
| Quiz (scored) slides | A name is always required. A nickname works. |
## Frequently asked questions
### Can I make a Poll anonymous?
A Poll is anonymous when you don't collect names anywhere else in the session. There is no anonymity switch on the Poll slide, and no setting to hide names from yourself.
### Can I see who voted for which option?
On the presenter screen, no: results are combined. In the individual participant report and the Excel export you can see each participant's vote, labelled with their name if they gave one and as **(Anonymous)** if they didn't.
### Do participants have to sign in to vote on a Poll?
No, unless you turn on participant verification for the presentation.
### Can a participant stay anonymous in a quiz?
They can type a nickname, but the name field can't be left empty and there is no setting to turn the prompt off.
### Does a nameless vote still count in the results?
Yes. A vote counts in the chart and in the reports whether or not the participant gave a name.
**Have a question?**
Contact our support team — if you're logged in, use the chat bubble in the bottom-right of your dashboard; otherwise [contact us here](https://ahaslides.com/contact-us/) or email [hi@ahaslides.com](mailto:hi@ahaslides.com).
Want to connect with other users? Join the [AhaSlides community](https://community.ahaslides.com/) to share tips, request features, and see how others engage their audiences.
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