How to Make a Poll in Twitch Chat

Polls used to be an Affiliate perk. Since Twitch opened its monetization tools to every streamer, the bar is a setup form, not a follower count.

Updated 2026-10-03

How do you start a poll on Twitch, step by step?

From the Creator Dashboard, once monetization setup is done:

1. Open Stream Manager and click the plus icon under Quick Actions.

2. Find Manage your poll, in the Grow Your Community section, and add it.

3. Click Manage Poll in your quick actions, then New Poll.

4. Write the title, which is the question, in 60 characters or fewer.

5. Add between 2 and 5 options, each up to 25 characters.

6. Choose the settings: whether viewers can buy extra votes with Channel Points, and the duration.

7. Click Start Poll.

The poll appears at the top of chat for everyone watching. Your dashboard shows the results live, with a button to end the poll early. Only one poll can run at a time.

Who can create polls on Twitch?

Three groups of people, on channels that have polls switched on:

• The streamer, from the Creator Dashboard, on any channel that has completed monetization setup, including Affiliates and Partners.
• Moderators, who can create and manage a poll by typing /poll in chat, which opens the poll module.
• Editors, with the same /poll command and the same controls.

Do Twitch polls require Affiliate?

No, as of October 2026. Twitch's feature table lists polls as available to streamers whose monetization setup is complete, a group that sits below Affiliate. All it takes is completing step one of creator onboarding in the Creator Dashboard: your legal name, your country and agreeing to the Monetized Streamer Agreement. The optional second step, setting up your spendable balance, isn't needed for polls.

Streamers who haven't done that setup don't get polls at all, which is why the Help Center still describes them as exclusive to monetized streamers.

If you can't see the poll quick action after onboarding, check that the account is the one you set up, since Twitch allows monetization features on a maximum of five accounts and removes them from the least active ones beyond that.

Can viewers vote with Channel Points?

Yes, if you allow it. Every eligible viewer gets one free vote. With Allow Voting with Channel Points turned on, they can cast extra votes, each costing the number of points you set when creating the poll.

Twitch's Help Center lists the rules viewers should know before spending:

• Channel Points votes are not anonymous, so the streamer can see who spent points.
• They can't be refunded, even for a vote on the wrong option.
• Voting with Channel Points isn't available on mobile.
• Anyone can vote by clicking the option and Vote, or by typing /vote followed by the option number in chat.

How long can a Twitch poll run?

As long as the duration you set when you create it, and you can end it sooner from the dashboard. Twitch's poll help describes duration as the time the poll runs before ending, chosen in the poll settings, and doesn't list a fixed range on that page, so pick a length from the options the form gives you.

Short polls work better live. A minute or two is enough for chat to answer a question like which game is next, and a long poll sits at the top of chat after people have stopped looking at it.

When a poll ends, the results stay on screen for one minute and no more votes are accepted. The full breakdown, with the number of voters, Channel Points spent and the top contributors, is at twitch.tv/popout/ followed by your username and /poll. The same URL works as a browser source in your streaming software, which shows the live poll on stream.

Can mods start polls?

Yes. Twitch's Help Center says channel moderators and editors can create and manage a poll with the /poll command in chat. They can also end a poll with /endpoll and delete one with /deletepoll.

That's useful for a solo streamer who can't stop mid-game to type out options. A mod can run the whole thing: ask chat what it wants, start the poll, end it when the answer is clear and post the result.

Viewers who find a poll inappropriate can report it from the three-dot menu on the poll, and anyone can collapse a running poll with the arrow icon if it's in the way. If chat itself isn't showing for some viewers, the causes are usually the ones in why you can't see Twitch chat.

What is the difference between polls and predictions?

A poll asks an opinion; a prediction is a bet with Channel Points. In a poll, everyone gets one free vote and the most votes wins. In a prediction, viewers stake Channel Points on an outcome, such as whether you'll beat the boss, and those who guessed right split the pool in proportion to what they staked.

The mechanics differ too, according to Twitch's predictions help:

• Predictions take 2 to 10 outcomes; polls take 2 to 5 options.
• A prediction's submission window runs from 1 to 30 minutes.
• Viewers can stake from 10 to 250,000 Channel Points on a prediction.
• The streamer or a mod resolves the prediction by choosing the outcome, and a mod who took part can't resolve it; unresolved predictions return all points after 24 hours.
• Mods start predictions with /prediction.

Do polls help keep viewers in chat?

They give viewers something to do, which is the point. A question with a real effect on the stream, such as the next game, a build or a challenge, turns a lurker into a participant for one click, and participants tend to stay longer than people who are only watching. Do lurkers count as Twitch viewers explains how passive viewers are counted either way.

The limit is audience size. A poll is only as lively as the chat answering it, and on a small stream it can sit with a handful of votes. Raids, collaborations and a regular schedule grow that audience, as how to get more viewers on Twitch explains. If you'd rather lift the viewer count newcomers see while you're live, Twitch viewers does that from your channel name, never a password; it changes the number on the stream, not who votes in the poll. Every Twitch service is on the Twitch page.

Questions people ask about Twitch polls