diff --git a/examples/tutorial/package.json b/examples/tutorial/package.json
index f4d2d920e4..4c54061fb9 100644
--- a/examples/tutorial/package.json
+++ b/examples/tutorial/package.json
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     "emoji-mart": "^5.6.0",
     "react": "^19.2.6",
     "react-dom": "^19.2.6",
-    "stream-chat": "^9.52.0",
+    "stream-chat": "^9.54.0",
     "stream-chat-react": "workspace:^"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/examples/vite/package.json b/examples/vite/package.json
index ff9fe2c6ed..9670c077b2 100644
--- a/examples/vite/package.json
+++ b/examples/vite/package.json
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     "modern-normalize": "^3.0.1",
     "react": "^19.2.6",
     "react-dom": "^19.2.6",
-    "stream-chat": "^9.52.0",
+    "stream-chat": "^9.54.0",
     "stream-chat-react": "workspace:^"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 9301b8fdd0..f11738f07f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@
     "modern-normalize": "^3.0.1",
     "react": "^19.0.0 || ^18.0.0 || ^17.0.0",
     "react-dom": "^19.0.0 || ^18.0.0 || ^17.0.0",
-    "stream-chat": "^9.52.0"
+    "stream-chat": "^9.54.0"
   },
   "peerDependenciesMeta": {
     "@breezystack/lamejs": {
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@
     "react-dom": "^19.2.6",
     "sass": "^1.100.0",
     "semantic-release": "^25.0.3",
-    "stream-chat": "^9.52.0",
+    "stream-chat": "^9.54.0",
     "typescript": "^6.0.3",
     "typescript-eslint": "^8.59.4",
     "vite": "^8.1.3",
diff --git a/src/components/Poll/PollOptionSelector.tsx b/src/components/Poll/PollOptionSelector.tsx
index d7ee9a95ab..0900d19e4a 100644
--- a/src/components/Poll/PollOptionSelector.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Poll/PollOptionSelector.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import clsx from 'clsx';
-import debounce from 'lodash.debounce';
-import React, { useMemo } from 'react';
+import React, { useCallback, useMemo } from 'react';
 import type { PollOption, PollState, PollVote, VotingVisibility } from 'stream-chat';
 import { isVoteAnswer } from 'stream-chat';
 import { AvatarStack as DefaultAvatarStack } from '../Avatar';
@@ -85,17 +84,13 @@ export const PollOptionSelector = ({
     ? vote_counts_by_option[maxVotedOptionIds[0]]
     : 0;
 
-  const toggleVote = useMemo(
-    () =>
-      debounce(() => {
-        if (!canCastVote) return;
-        const haveVotedForTheOption = !!ownVotesByOptionId[option.id];
-        return haveVotedForTheOption
-          ? poll.removeVote(ownVotesByOptionId[option.id].id, message.id)
-          : poll.castVote(option.id, message.id);
-      }, 100),
-    [canCastVote, message.id, option.id, ownVotesByOptionId, poll],
-  );
+  const toggleVote = useCallback(() => {
+    if (!canCastVote) return;
+    const haveVotedForTheOption = !!ownVotesByOptionId[option.id];
+    return haveVotedForTheOption
+      ? poll.removeVote(ownVotesByOptionId[option.id].id, message.id)
+      : poll.castVote(option.id, message.id);
+  }, [canCastVote, message.id, option.id, ownVotesByOptionId, poll]);
 
   const avatarDisplayInfo = useMemo(
     () =>
@@ -120,6 +115,8 @@ export const PollOptionSelector = ({
           ? (event) => {
               if (event.key !== 'Enter' && event.key !== ' ') return;
               event.preventDefault();
+              // a held key would otherwise toggle the vote on every auto-repeat
+              if (event.repeat) return;
               toggleVote();
             }
           : undefined
diff --git a/src/components/Poll/__tests__/PollOptionList.test.tsx b/src/components/Poll/__tests__/PollOptionList.test.tsx
index 496ce69ee4..9986c8c90e 100644
--- a/src/components/Poll/__tests__/PollOptionList.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Poll/__tests__/PollOptionList.test.tsx
@@ -307,6 +307,92 @@ describe('PollOptionList', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('ignores auto-repeated key presses on a held key', async () => {
+    const poll = new Poll({
+      client: fromPartial<StreamChat>({}),
+      poll: pollWithNoVotes,
+    });
+    const castVoteSpy = vi.spyOn(poll, 'castVote').mockResolvedValue(fromPartial({}));
+    const removeVoteSpy = vi.spyOn(poll, 'removeVote').mockResolvedValue(fromPartial({}));
+
+    const { container } = renderComponent({ poll });
+    const firstOption = container.querySelector(VOTABLE_OPTION_SELECTOR) as HTMLElement;
+
+    act(() => {
+      fireEvent.keyDown(firstOption, { key: 'Enter' });
+      fireEvent.keyDown(firstOption, { key: 'Enter', repeat: true });
+      fireEvent.keyDown(firstOption, { key: ' ', repeat: true });
+    });
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(castVoteSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+    expect(removeVoteSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  // Renders a poll whose votes go through stream-chat's optimistic vote updates, with only the
+  // vote requests mocked. Each cast gets a new server vote id: server-vote-1, server-vote-2...
+  const renderWithOptimisticVotes = async () => {
+    const client = await getTestClientWithUser(generateUser());
+    const poll = new Poll({ client, poll: pollWithNoVotes });
+    const optionId = pollWithNoVotes.options[0].id;
+    const requests: string[] = [];
+    let castCount = 0;
+    vi.spyOn(client, 'castPollVote').mockImplementation(() => {
+      const id = `server-vote-${++castCount}`;
+      requests.push(`cast ${id}`);
+      return Promise.resolve(
+        fromPartial({
+          vote: {
+            created_at: new Date().toISOString(),
+            id,
+            option_id: optionId,
+            poll_id: pollWithNoVotes.id,
+            updated_at: new Date().toISOString(),
+            user: client.user,
+            user_id: client.userID,
+          },
+        }),
+      );
+    });
+    vi.spyOn(client, 'removePollVote').mockImplementation((_, __, voteId) => {
+      requests.push(`remove ${voteId}`);
+      return Promise.resolve(fromPartial({}));
+    });
+
+    const { container } = renderComponent({ poll });
+    const option = container.querySelector(VOTABLE_OPTION_SELECTOR) as HTMLElement;
+    return { client, option, optionId, requests };
+  };
+
+  it('toggles the vote on rapid clicks without waiting for the server', async () => {
+    const { client, option, optionId, requests } = await renderWithOptimisticVotes();
+    const messageId = defaultMessageContext.message.id;
+
+    // the second click lands before the server responded to the first one
+    act(() => {
+      fireEvent.click(option);
+    });
+    expect(option).toHaveAttribute('aria-pressed', 'true');
+    act(() => {
+      fireEvent.click(option);
+    });
+    expect(option).toHaveAttribute('aria-pressed', 'false');
+
+    // the removal waits for the cast and removes the vote the server created
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(requests).toEqual(['cast server-vote-1', 'remove server-vote-1']);
+    });
+    expect(client.castPollVote).toHaveBeenCalledWith(messageId, pollWithNoVotes.id, {
+      option_id: optionId,
+    });
+    expect(client.removePollVote).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      messageId,
+      pollWithNoVotes.id,
+      'server-vote-1',
+    );
+  });
+
   it('passes axe on the default poll option list', async () => {
     const poll = new Poll({ client: fromPartial<StreamChat>({}), poll: generatePoll() });
     const { container } = renderComponent({ poll });
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 0306691a65..de0969ac63 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -2069,7 +2069,7 @@ __metadata:
     emoji-mart: "npm:^5.6.0"
     react: "npm:^19.2.6"
     react-dom: "npm:^19.2.6"
-    stream-chat: "npm:^9.52.0"
+    stream-chat: "npm:^9.54.0"
     stream-chat-react: "workspace:^"
     typescript: "npm:^6.0.3"
     vite: "npm:^8.1.3"
@@ -2095,7 +2095,7 @@ __metadata:
     react: "npm:^19.2.6"
     react-dom: "npm:^19.2.6"
     sass: "npm:^1.100.0"
-    stream-chat: "npm:^9.52.0"
+    stream-chat: "npm:^9.54.0"
     stream-chat-react: "workspace:^"
     typescript: "npm:^6.0.3"
     vite: "npm:^8.1.3"
@@ -10104,7 +10104,7 @@ __metadata:
     remark-parse: "npm:^11.0.0"
     sass: "npm:^1.100.0"
     semantic-release: "npm:^25.0.3"
-    stream-chat: "npm:^9.52.0"
+    stream-chat: "npm:^9.54.0"
     typescript: "npm:^6.0.3"
     typescript-eslint: "npm:^8.59.4"
     unified: "npm:^11.0.5"
@@ -10121,7 +10121,7 @@ __metadata:
     modern-normalize: ^3.0.1
     react: ^19.0.0 || ^18.0.0 || ^17.0.0
     react-dom: ^19.0.0 || ^18.0.0 || ^17.0.0
-    stream-chat: ^9.52.0
+    stream-chat: ^9.54.0
   dependenciesMeta:
     "@parcel/watcher":
       built: true
@@ -10145,9 +10145,9 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: unknown
   linkType: soft
 
-"stream-chat@npm:^9.52.0":
-  version: 9.52.0
-  resolution: "stream-chat@npm:9.52.0"
+"stream-chat@npm:^9.54.0":
+  version: 9.54.0
+  resolution: "stream-chat@npm:9.54.0"
   dependencies:
     "@types/jsonwebtoken": "npm:^9.0.8"
     "@types/ws": "npm:^8.18.1"
@@ -10163,7 +10163,7 @@ __metadata:
       built: true
     husky:
       built: true
-  checksum: 10c0/1ff1a595a17f54e244e1d0803e2821887092b609f8ab56377a006789cdaaed1307ed09cb9a64aecf8f863aefee6050a3b23bd9eec2b14bbbe661a26410d2c8c0
+  checksum: 10c0/f8c02372ffa672e759970223811667b8263bbded048a85adbdd6c3ed60a16f72c882d9700538b94a3148a8e4bfa259eafae5effdc0d8e7ffd2525e61f27a190e
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard