Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I edit my voter list?
2. When do I need to submit my voter list?
3. How do I add write-in option to my ballot?
4. What do the various reports mean?
5. How can I increase voter turn-out?
6. What is the acceptable voter list format?
7. What is the difference between setting up my ballot using the Wizard or the Classic mode?
8. What are the acceptable image formats and sizes I need in the biography section?
9. I don't understand time in military (24 hr) format. Please Explain.
10. Can I add or delete a voter from the voter list once it has been uploaded?
11. Is there a way for a voter to be sure that their vote was cast and has been counted?
12. What does "ballot shuffling" mean and why would I want to chose this option for my election?
13. How can I see a sample of what the ballot will look like to the voters?
14. What is the difference between anonymous and non-anonymous elections and why would I want one or the other?
15. What does "publish results" mean in the Ballot Setings section of eBallot?
16. What are the minimum browser requirements for proper functioning of eBallot?
17. Why does eBallot log me out when attempting to vote on an AOL 9.0 browser?
18. Why does my formatting mess-up after copy-pasting text into the text boxes equipped with Word style formatting buttons?

In the Admin Section, Click on the Link to your ballot, click on the manage voter list tab. You may search for an individual voter by entering information in the search field or you may search your voter list page by page. Click the manage voter button to update the voter's information, delete the voter, mark the voter as offline or vote by proxy for the voter.

When do I need to submit my voter list?

All final voter lists need to be received a minimum of 10 business days before the election start date.

How do I add write-in option to my ballot?

In the Admin section, click on the link to your ballot. Click on the Add/Edit Questions tab. Enter the text in the Write-In Choice Title field or enter the number of write in options that you wish to add.

What do the various reports mean?

In the Admin section, click on the link to your ballot.

How can I increase voter turn-out?

Votenet Solutions provides a number of proven marketing methods as part of the eBallot offering, either within the product or as an add-on feature.

1. Email Blast
2. Paper Pamphlets
3. Existing Organization Literature
4. Web Stickers
5. Metrics

Any commonly used format is acceptable, including:

1. Excel
2. CSV (Comma Separated Value) files
3. Access, SQL or any other commonly used database program

The data file uploaded must adhere to the following guidelines:

• The file must be created/edited using any of the acceptable formats listed above.
• The file must have a maximum of 5 columns. Two of these must be username and password. The other three columns are for first name, last name and password.
• The first row of the data file must be labeled: username, password, first name, last name and email
• None of the fields can contain "special characters" that include: apostrophes (’), double quotes ("), #, %, comma (,), <, >, or period signs (.)
• If the data file is in a text format (such as a CSV file), make sure that commas separate your columns and the correct number are used in each row.
• Caution: Importing from your database program into a worksheet may cause the worksheet program to drop "leading zeros" if any are in your file (for example, zip codes with a leading zero (01234) may be imported as 1234)
• There is no limit on the length of the file (i.e. number of rows).

  Using eBallot, you cannot upload your own voter list. ONce the voter list is in the proper format and you have double-checked the data, you must send the list file to Votenet Solutions for importing. Contact your account representative for more details.

What is the difference between setting up my ballot using the Wizard or the Classic mode?

Wizard mode is a Step-by-Step ballot setup tool for simple ballots or inexperienced administrators. Classic mode is an advanced administrative option, allowing the administrator to set up a ballot with most of the options on a single screen.

What are the acceptable image formats and sizes I need in the biography section?

An image may be uploaded using the Browse button on the image line. Images should be in .JPG or .GIF format, with 72 pix (pixels per square inch) depth and the recommended width of 61 pix.

I don't understand time in military (24 hr) format. Please Explain.

The time settings are entered in military (24 hour) time, Eastern Standard Time. This means there is no "a.m." or "p.m." option. For the morning hours of 12 midnight to 11:59 am, enter times using 00:00 (for midnight) until 11:59 ( for 11:59 am). For 12 noon until 11:59 pm, enter times using 12:00 (for noon) until 23:59 (for 11:59 pm). See examples below:

Standard Time	Military (24 hour) Time
12:30 am	00:30
6:45 am	06:45
3:30 pm	15:30
9:45 pm	21:45

Can I add or delete a voter from the voter list once it has been uploaded?

Yes, just use the Manage Voter List tab to manipulate the voter list. However, if the ballot is already activated, you cannot edit or delete a voter, but you can still add voters.

Is there a way for a voter to be sure that their vote was cast and has been counted?

At the end of the voting process, a unique auto-generated confirmation code is provided for the voter. Should the voter want to verify that their choices were recorded correctly, they may do so by contacting the election administrators (the client) and providing the confirmation number.

What does "ballot shuffling" mean and why would I want to chose this option for my election?

eBallot can automatically randomize the order in which choices appear for any given question, thus preventing any possible favoritism to one choice by always listing it at the top (e.g. alphabetical listing of "Adams" before "Jones"). Ballot Shuffling provides an easy way to ensure all choices get equal opportunity listings.

How can I see a sample of what the ballot will look like to the voters?

The Preview option in the ballot setup process will provide the opportunity for you to view the ballot as it will appear to your voters. Votenet Solutions highly recommends that you use this feature to test and verify the ballot before you activate it for voting.

What is the difference between anonymous and non-anonymous elections and why would I want one or the other?

For an anonymous election, the vote is recorded, but all records of who cast the vote are deleted. The voter's choice is recorded and the fact that the vote was cast is recorded, but there is no way to link the voter to their choices. At the end of the voting process, a unique auto-generated confirmation code is provided for the voter. Should the voter want to verify that their choices were recorded correctly, they may do so by contacting the election administrators (the client) and voluntarily relinquishing anonymity by providing the confirmation number. This process allows everyone to uniquely verify even anonymous elections. In a non-anonymous election, voter identities are recorded along with their selections.

What does "publish results" mean in the Ballot Setings section of eBallot?

eBallot can publish the outcome of the election in the poll booth area after the election is completed, allowing voters to log in again to view the results automatically.

What are the minimum browser requirements for proper functioning of eBallot?

eBallot Minimum browser requirements

Thank you for choosing to cast your vote online with eBallot. Your organization has chosen to leverage eBallot to enhance the voting experience and improve overall voter turnout. In an effort to provide a great user experience we have made eBallot accessible with most of the common Internet browsers available today. The voting experience is optimal when using one of the following Internet browsers:

• Internet Explorer (PC Version) 5.0 and above
• Netscape versions 4.77 and above
• Firefox
• Opera
• Safari (MAC) browser
• Internet Explorer (MAC Version) 5.0 and above
• AOL pre-9.0 version browsers.

Due to embedded flaws and logic errors in the latest version of the AOL Internet browser, you may experience difficulty casting your vote. Please note we are aware of certain problems faced by voters using this browser and we are working with AOL to rectify this issue in their next release of the AOL Internet browser.

Specifically, we have logged two inconsistencies with the AOL browser when using eBallot. First, if you enter your login information but the system will not allow you to proceed to the eBallot home page. Second, if you are able to log in to eBallot, but you are not able to view the ballot or cast your vote on the ballot page.

At this time, we recommend you launch a different browser (like Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Firefox) to vote once you have logged on to the AOL system instead of using the AOL browser. This problem seems to only affect users of the AOL 9.0 version and not pre-9.0 versions.

If the explanation above does not rectify your problem, please contact eBallot customer support at 1-800-868-3638.

Why does eBallot log me out when attempting to vote on an AOL 9.0 browser?

If you are a voter attempting to vote on an election using an AOL 9.0 browser, please note that we are aware of certain problems faced by users using this browser.

Specifically, this applies if you enter your login information once and upon submitting the information you are prompted for your login information again or are you are able to login but not view the ballot.

While we are working to resolve this problem, this seems to be a widespread issue specific to AOL 9.0 and not an issue specific to this voting website. At this time, we recommend you use a different browser (like Internet Explorer or Netscape) to vote once you have logged on to the AOL system instead of using the AOL browser. This problem seems to only affect users of the AOL 9.0 version and not pre-9.0 versions.

Why does my formatting mess-up after copy-pasting text into the text boxes equipped with Word style formatting buttons?

The problems occuring as a result of copy-pasting formatted text into the text boxes with Word-style formatting buttons can be due to the following reasons:

Scenario 1: You have copied and pasted the text from Microsoft Word and it can sometime create additional extraneous formatting elements. Follow these easy steps:

1. Delete all text form the text box.
2. Copy the original text from Word to Notepad
3. Copy and paste the text from Notepad to the text box.

Scenario 2: Using the table functionality in the text editor can sometime produce some unusual results. To delete the space that gets created automatically please follow these steps:

1. Click on the HTML/text toggle button on the text tool bar
2. You will see the HTML version of your text.
3. Now delete all spaces including carriage returns between all HTML tags. The HTML tags are easily identifiable as they always begin with "<" and always end with ">".