Cross-time-zone scheduling fails when people compare labels instead of instants. “Tuesday at nine” is incomplete until the time zone is known, and daylight-saving transitions can change offsets. TimeVote stores each candidate as an exact instant while keeping one poll time zone visible and showing the device-local equivalent when it differs.
Choose one authoritative poll time zone
Use the organiser’s or event venue’s IANA time zone as the common reference. It stays visible beside the candidate list, so a future daylight-saving change is handled by the zone rules instead of a fixed offset.
Enter exact starts and durations
A candidate is an exact start plus a duration, not merely “morning” or “after work.” Avoid times inside daylight-saving gaps and double-check ambiguous fall-back hours before sharing.
Let participants compare their local equivalent
TimeVote presents the authoritative poll time and, when the device zone differs, a second “Your time” line. Participants should still verify travel or venue time separately when physical attendance is involved.
Allow a response window that spans workdays
Send the link through a channel available to everyone and leave enough time for each region to see it during normal hours. A QR code helps in person; the adjacent copy button is usually better for distributed teams.
Use the ranking as an aid, not a hidden rule
The best match prioritises the most Available responses, then Available plus If needed, then fewer Unavailable responses, and finally the earlier instant. Tell the group if another constraint will override that order.
Confirm the instant in the original channel
After selecting a candidate, post the final time with its time zone in the original channel. TimeVote coordinates availability; it does not send calendar invitations or reserve a room.