diff --git a/resources/sql/autopatches/20220525.slowvote.06.method-type.sql b/resources/sql/autopatches/20220525.slowvote.06.method-type.sql
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/sql/autopatches/20220525.slowvote.06.method-type.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+ALTER TABLE {$NAMESPACE}_slowvote.slowvote_poll
+  CHANGE method method VARCHAR(32) NOT NULL COLLATE {$COLLATE_TEXT};
diff --git a/resources/sql/autopatches/20220525.slowvote.07.method-value.sql b/resources/sql/autopatches/20220525.slowvote.07.method-value.sql
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/sql/autopatches/20220525.slowvote.07.method-value.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+UPDATE {$NAMESPACE}_slowvote.slowvote_poll
+  SET method = 'plurality' WHERE method = '0';
+
+UPDATE {$NAMESPACE}_slowvote.slowvote_poll
+  SET method = 'approval' WHERE method = '1';
diff --git a/src/applications/slowvote/constants/SlowvotePollVotingMethod.php b/src/applications/slowvote/constants/SlowvotePollVotingMethod.php
--- a/src/applications/slowvote/constants/SlowvotePollVotingMethod.php
+++ b/src/applications/slowvote/constants/SlowvotePollVotingMethod.php
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 final class SlowvotePollVotingMethod
   extends Phobject {
 
-  const METHOD_PLURALITY = 0;
-  const METHOD_APPROVAL = 1;
+  const METHOD_PLURALITY = 'plurality';
+  const METHOD_APPROVAL = 'approval';
 
   private $key;
 
diff --git a/src/applications/slowvote/controller/PhabricatorSlowvoteEditController.php b/src/applications/slowvote/controller/PhabricatorSlowvoteEditController.php
--- a/src/applications/slowvote/controller/PhabricatorSlowvoteEditController.php
+++ b/src/applications/slowvote/controller/PhabricatorSlowvoteEditController.php
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
       $v_space = $request->getStr('spacePHID');
 
       if ($is_new) {
-        $poll->setMethod($request->getInt('method'));
+        $poll->setMethod($request->getStr('method'));
       }
 
       if (!strlen($v_question)) {
diff --git a/src/applications/slowvote/storage/PhabricatorSlowvotePoll.php b/src/applications/slowvote/storage/PhabricatorSlowvotePoll.php
--- a/src/applications/slowvote/storage/PhabricatorSlowvotePoll.php
+++ b/src/applications/slowvote/storage/PhabricatorSlowvotePoll.php
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
         'question' => 'text255',
         'responseVisibility' => 'text32',
         'shuffle' => 'bool',
-        'method' => 'uint32',
+        'method' => 'text32',
         'description' => 'text',
         'isClosed' => 'bool',
       ),
diff --git a/src/applications/slowvote/view/SlowvoteEmbedView.php b/src/applications/slowvote/view/SlowvoteEmbedView.php
--- a/src/applications/slowvote/view/SlowvoteEmbedView.php
+++ b/src/applications/slowvote/view/SlowvoteEmbedView.php
@@ -301,13 +301,17 @@
 
     $percent = sprintf('%d%%', $count ? 100 * $choices / $count : 0);
 
-    switch ($poll->getMethod()) {
+    $method = $poll->getMethod();
+    switch ($method) {
       case SlowvotePollVotingMethod::METHOD_PLURALITY:
         $status = pht('%s (%d / %d)', $percent, $choices, $count);
         break;
       case SlowvotePollVotingMethod::METHOD_APPROVAL:
         $status = pht('%s Approval (%d / %d)', $percent, $choices, $count);
         break;
+      default:
+        $status = pht('Unknown ("%s")', $method);
+        break;
     }
 
     return phutil_tag(